The Past Is In The Past
by The Atlantean
Summary: Elsa's innocence and childhood was snatched from her after her mother's death led to her father viciously taking his anger out on her. Elsa did everything to survive but it wasn't enough. However, Elsa did manage to find solace in only one person; Jack Frost. Modern AU. Jelsa and Kristanna. Rated M for abuse, violence, language and sex.
1. The Prologue

**Chapter 1: The Prologue**

Elsa was only five when she lost her mother.

Before this, Elsa could only remember happy times. Her family lived in a beautiful and massive house in a town called Arendelle which was in Norway. Elsa had been born into the privilege Winters' family. The Winters came from the Arendelle family – the family who had founded Arendelle when Olaf Arendelle decided to construct a town. So Elsa's life was planned out from the moment she was born; prestigious schools, Oxford admittance and then joining her family's business before becoming CEO. Elsa's family sold sports gear, specialising in winter gear. Elsa knew that she had a difficult life ahead of her.

Little did she realise just how difficult it was going to be.

Losing her mother at a young age hadn't been easy. In fact, it hadn't been easy on anyone. Elsa had been playing on the lawn in front. She had a blue, bouncy ball in her hand and she was happy bouncing it up and down. Her mother, Idun Winters, was laughing as she held Elsa's baby sister, Anna, on her lap. Anna was only two but she was quite the handful and loved to play with her older sister who also loved to play with her younger sister. Elsa's had been bouncing her ball against the grass, laughing as she did, when she bounced it a little hard. The ball travelled along the ground, bouncing as it did. The ball bounced across the yard and through the open gate till it rested in the middle of the road.

Elsa got up to go get her ball but her mother told her to stay where she was. Elsa's mother told her to look after Anna while she went to get the ball. Her mother raced across the street and picked up the ball.

She never even saw the car coming.

Elsa's mother had bent down and the car slammed right into the back. There had been a mess on the road. Elsa remembered crying and crying, screaming for her mother who would never be able to hear her again. Elsa's father, Adgar, had run out when he heard his daughter's distress. He had cradled his wife before shouting at Elsa to call for an ambulance.

" _Emergency services , how can I help?"_

" _My mummy's hurt."_

Elsa remembered a lot of people turning up. There had been neighbours racing about in a panic. The driver, who turned out to be drunk, was being arrested by a police officer. Sirens hurt Elsa's ears. Elsa's mother had been placed in a black and placed into an ambulance before being driven away. Elsa had raced after the ambulance but a neighbour grabbed her and held her back. Her father was crying as a police officer told him what was going on. He collapsed in his grief and the police officer took hold of his shoulder. Elsa remembered Anna crying as she sat on the lawn. Her father went over and scooped up his crying daughter. He gestured for Elsa to come over. Elsa did as she was told. She didn't really know what was going on but she could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that something bad had happened to her mother.

The funeral had taken place the next week. Everyone was dressed in black and grouped around a grave in the middle of a field. The rain was pounding on everyone's umbrellas. Elsa clung to her father's hand while her sister clung to the other. When the funeral was over, everyone headed over to Elsa's house. Elsa stayed in the corner of the living room clutching a small plate of food. Her sister had been taken upstairs to rest in her room by her uncle. Anna had collapsed in his arms and was completely asleep. The whole ordeal had been too much for her.

Elsa nibbled at a biscuit as she watched what was happening before her. She could see her grandmother, Ingrid Winters, chatting to Elsa's cousin Astrid – daughter of her Uncle Klaus – and Astrid's mother, Greta. Astrid was a little younger than Elsa; she was about four years old. Elsa had no idea what they were discussing. Elsa heard something about a miscarriage that her Aunt Greta was talking about. Elsa's grandmother seemed quite concerned about Aunt Greta. Elsa stared at them for several seconds before she decided to look for her father. Her eyes scanned the room looking for him. She soon found him.

Elsa's mother's sister, Irena, was chatting to her father. Her dad seemed to be looking upset while Aunt Irena was patting him on the back and offering him kind words. She wasn't the only one though; several family members that Elsa didn't even recognise all did the same thing. It was all that Elsa had heard today; _"sorry for your loss"_. People have been saying the same thing to her. She didn't know how to reply to that.

Elsa didn't really know what to do until her father scooped her up and told her that she should go to bed. Elsa had been feeling sleepy so she was grateful for the suggestion. She had nearly fallen asleep in that corner that she had stayed in for the entire time. As a child, Elsa didn't quite fully comprehend what was going on.

" _Daddy,_ " she had asked him, all tucked up in bed with her sheets pulled up to her chin. _"When is mummy coming home?"_

Her dad had smiled at her. He sat down on her bed next to her and stroked her cheek.  
 _"Sweetie, mummy has gone to join Grandad."_

" _Oh,"_ Elsa had said. She knew what that meant. Her mother wasn't coming back.

Her father gave her a kiss goodnight before turning off the light. He said goodnight to Elsa before he shut the door slowly behind him. Elsa's dressing gown, hanging on a hook that was attached to her door, swung as he did. Elsa turned on her side and rested her head on her pillow. Elsa stared at her little clock that was on her bedside table. It was square shaped clock that had a digital time on it. A little doll sat on the top of it and the doll's legs draped down the sides of the clock. Elsa watched as the time ticked by. A small tear rolled down her face. She was never going to see her mother again and that made her sad.

Life went downhill after that.

After her mother's death, her father entered a state of depression, a severe state of depression. He had seen doctors, they had prescribed medications but nothing had worked for him. Nothing seemed to be working. Well, all but one thing didn't' worked. Her father started to drink. At first it was only an extra drink in the evening. Then he started going by the local bar after work on some days before he started to go every day. It wasn't long before he started coming home drunk. Elsa could hear him banging around in the kitchen which was below her room. Elsa shut her eyes and cried even more. Elsa had been forced to help her little sister get ready. Her father had done his best to keep going but Elsa took it upon herself to do as much as she could for him. She knew that he was going through a difficult time but for a five year old to try and take on the responsibilities of an adult was something that should never be asked. Elsa got Anna dressed, fed and put her to bed before sorting herself out while her father was in the bar getting hammered. There had been help initially but it wasn't much use. Kai and Gerda, who had normally helped out around the house, had been fired because they had been hired by Elsa's mother. Her father didn't want anything to remind him of her. That was the reason why he lied to his sister-in-law, Irena, about needing her help. She was just a younger version of Idun.

It had only been a few months after her mother's funeral when he first yelled at her.

Elsa had been playing outside with Anna. They were in the garden running about and making some noise. Their father had come out already two times to tell them to be quiet. Naturally, the two girls didn't listen. While running, Elsa fell down and messed up her legs pretty badly. Elsa walked to the house to get help from her father. She had walked into the living room and found him sitting in his usual chair. He had a bottle of beer in his hand and he looked very tired. Elsa had approached him and asked him for his help. He had told her to go away and deal with it herself. Elsa had begged for his help.

" _Elsa, I had told you to sort it yourself! Now leave me alone!"_ Elsa had never heard her father shout like that. He had yelled before but this was different. His anger was hitting his limits. Elsa had flinched when he yelled. His father's angry face had softened when he saw Elsa's scared face.

" _I'm sorry sweetie, daddy is just tired. Let's go sort out those knees."_

Elsa smiled widely. She took his hand and walked to find the first aid kit. Little did she realise that it was only going to get worse for her.

Elsa had only been six when he first hit her.

It had happened on the one year anniversary of her mother's death. Her father hadn't taken it very well. He came home drunker than usual. Elsa had tried getting Anna to bed as usual but Anna was upset. She was crying over not being able to stay up and watch her favourite show which had been taped for her. Elsa had cast a nervous look at her father. It didn't take much to set her father off.

" _Elsa, sort out your sister!"_ That had been the warning.

Elsa had somehow manage to get Anna off to bed but her father was still angry when she came back down the stairs to the kitchen to grab her things so that she could also go to bed. She found her father draining probably what was his tenth beer that night. He dropped the beer bottle and it shattered all over the floor. Elsa hurried to pick it up. She avoided eye contact with her father as she did this. As Elsa picked it all up, she dropped it back over the floor. She had tripped over one of her father's shoes that were strewn across the floor. All the broken shards of glass were thrown all over her father. He then exploded.

" _Did you do that on purpose?"_ he had yelled so hard that Elsa flinched. _"You did, didn't you?"_ His hand flew across Elsa's cheek and the force of it knocked her to the ground. Elsa threw out her hands to break her fall. _"I'm so sorry, sweetie. Let me help you clean up this mess."_ Her father had bent down and helped Elsa clean up the mess. The next day, there was a bruise on her cheek. Her father had tried to make it up to her by buying her gifts such as a dollhouse.

People asked about the bruise and her father covered it up by saying that Elsa had been a little clumsy and whacked her face into a door handle by mistake. People bought this story. Of course they would believe Agdar Winters; a high ranking member of the Arendelle society and beyond all suspicion. This continued onwards. No one doubted his story, every. No one would ever believe that he was taking out his anger on his own daughter.

Elsa had once thought that her father wouldn't do that anymore. She was very wrong. The next time didn't happen for a few days. Then her father got angry again. This time it was over Elsa coming home late without calling first. Elsa hadn't called because she was in the middle of a netball game and her messages went unanswered. This time Elsa had been thrown against the pantry door. Her head hit it hard and she went dizzy for a moment. Her father looked very concerned and helped her to her room to lie down. All through this, he was apologising and saying that he didn't mean it. The next day, Elsa got more Lego sets. Her father didn't stop apologising the entirely of the next day. He kept saying that he would never do it again.

She thought that he was telling the truth; that it really was the last time. Then again, he would always say that.

As the days passed, the angrier her father got. It went from a small hit every few days to a beating every once in a while. Elsa couldn't do anything to protect herself. She felt powerless in the struggle. Her father stopped apologising for his actions after only after six months. He stopped trying to make it up to her after three months. Elsa ended up having to dress to hide after her father left bruises on her stomach, arms, back and sometimes neck.

It only took her father a few months to blame her for her mother's death. Elsa had thought the same after her mother had died. Normally, people would tell children that it wasn't their fault but this was different. Her father had said that if Elsa hadn't let her ball run out onto the road, her mother would still be alive. Elsa had come to believe that she was at fault for her mother's death. No one ever told her otherwise because no one knew that Elsa blamed herself.

Elsa had hoped that her bruises were the extent of it. She was wrong, yet again.

Her father broke her arm for the first time in the seventh month after her mother's death. Her father had gotten really mad about Elsa's bad grade in class. Recently her grades had started to slip because of what her father was doing. She never dared to tell anyone for fear out of what her father would do. Besides, Elsa didn't want to get her father into trouble. Her father had yelled at her, thrown her around about her bad grades. He then grabbed her arm and twisted it so hard behind her back until she heard a snap. Elsa had let out a scream in pain as he did this. She was then taken to the ER right afterwards it to see a doctor friend of her father where she got a shiny cast put on . Elsa had been crying the entire car ride there. Anna had been left with a neighbour so that she wouldn't see what was going on. Elsa had agreed with this decision. She didn't want her sister to see her like this. Elsa had gone back home only a few hours later. When she was at school, students were asking to sign her cast. They all bought her story about what happened.

When people asked about her injury, she said she fell off her bike. That wasn't the end of it. When he broke her leg, she said she fell out of her treehouse. Elsa was in and out of the ER on a regular basis. Elsa had thought that maybe her doctor, Doctor Lewis, would maybe see through hers and her father's stories but he agreed with whatever her father said. As Elsa got older, she knew why. He was paying him off. Elsa always shook her head in disgust. But as a child, Elsa just went with the flow. She felt like that was all she could do.

Everything then changed when Elsa was seven. Elsa had been in the kitchen with Anna. She had gotten her latest broken arm fixed and the cast had been taken off. Anna, who was four, was searching the kitchen for the cookies that Elsa had baked the previous week. The last time that Elsa saw them, there weren't many left. Anna had managed to find the jar and there was just one cookie left. Anna's face had lit up when she saw this. Elsa managed a small smile when she saw Anna's reaction.

" _Look Elsa! There's one left!"_

Anna had been so glad to find that there had been one left. She had enjoyed munching of those cookies. They had gone down quite well with her family. It had even put her father in a decent mood for a small time so no new bruises had appeared on her body.

" _So there is!"_

Anna had grabbed it and stuffed it into her mouth. Elsa grinned when she saw Anna's expression she saw what her little sister did. Her father then stormed into the room. Elsa could smell the strong smell of alcohol on him. He stomped into the room without a second glance at either of his two girls. He then stopped and gave them both a small pat on the head. He started going towards the pantry. Elsa saw his eyes then slide over to the two girls sitting at the kitchen table.

" _You took the last cookie!"_ that was what her father had screamed at Anna.

It was just a cookie but he always made a big deal out of everything. It didn't take a lot to set him off. If it wasn't a cookie, it was the way the washing was folded or the way Elsa stacked the dishwasher. Elsa felt like her father was always breathing down her neck. If she did something wrong, she would pay for it. Elsa was just thankful that Anna hadn't yet felt their father's anger.

Her father approached Anna. He had seen the biscuit tin in front of her and assumed, correctly, that she had taken the last cookie. He had raised his hand and Elsa saw her sister flinch. Elsa stepped in at that moment. She confessed that it was her who had eaten the last cookie. Her father stopped and then told Anna to leave the room. His hand came down across her face. Elsa fell onto the floor in a heap. She was growing used to this by now. Her father told her to ask next time.

Elsa had waited until her father had left the room before she headed up to her own room. She carefully got onto her bed. Elsa lay on her bed, sideways. Some tears rolled down her eyes. Elsa heard a knock on her door and she quickly wiped her tears. Anna had come into her room, flushed with excitement. She was telling Elsa about something that had happened in her TV show. Elsa hadn't been listening. She was just glad that Anna's innocence was still in tack. Elsa's had been robbed along with her childhood.

That night, Elsa didn't sleep a wink despite it was a school night and she needed all the sleep she could get. Elsa had been thinking about what happened with Anna. If she hadn't stepped in, her father could have seriously hurt Anna and that was the last thing she ever wanted. It may be too late for her but it wasn't too late for Anna. Elsa had so far managed to draw all of her father's anger onto her and away from her sister; she needed to keep that a reality. But how could Elsa do that? It seemed impossible.

Elsa had thought of a solution all night. If she didn't do something and quickly, then her sister will be like her; in and out of ERs, crying herself to sleep every night, feeling helpless and powerless, nursing herself practically every night, stepping on eggshells every night. It wasn't a life that she wanted for her sister.

Elsa had come up with the solution when she told herself that she needed to go to sleep since it was a school night. Elsa thought of sending Anna away to boarding school. That way, she would be out of the house and away from their father. Elsa snuck out of her bed and into her father's house where his laptop was sitting on the desk. Elsa had known the password to the laptop ever since her father came home drunk one night and told her to log into his laptop for who knows what. All that mattered was the password. She logged into the laptop and started a Google search.

Elsa kept a close eye on the door in case she heard her father moving about. She didn't want to be disturbed. She knew what would happen to her if she was. Elsa searched through a dozen schools and found one in Switzerland; Julian Kiebler Memorial College. The school was one of the top schools listed in Switzerland and in Europe. It took in students from Year 1 to Year 13. Elsa had a look through the school's website. It looked pretty good. It had everything that a student would need to find what they wanted to do in life and offer practically every subject that was available. Elsa started to scribble down some information about the school on a pad that her father always kept near his laptop. Elsa ripped off the piece of paper and tucked it into her pyjama pocket.

The next day at school, Elsa printed off some flyers. She soon left them in full sight of her father when she got home from school. As expected, her father asked her about it. Elsa lied and said that a representative from the school gave them to her. Elsa thought that it would be a good fit for Anna. Her father thought about it for a while before agreeing. He rang the school and soon got Anna admitted.

Little did she realise that her sister had been listening in the entire time. Anna had wondered why Elsa wanted her to leave Arendelle. This wonderment soon turned into Anna thinking that her sister didn't want her around anymore. This then turned into hatred for her sister. However, Elsa didn't mind. As long Anna was safe, Elsa was more than happy for Anna to think whatever she wanted about her.

 **A/N: So this was an idea I had for a Jelsa story, gracialoveme, as soon as I told her about the story, requested that I write it and so I decided I should.** **This chapter was more of a flashback and some backstory.** **This story will deal with the topic of child abuse, I hope I write it correctly. Quick note, I will be writing this alongside my other story, Thirst, which will be given main priority in terms of updates. I also have another story coming out soon that I have been working on for the last couple of days. I may not be able to update this quickly as I will be focusing on Thirst and it's prequel that I shall be writing as soon as that story is finished. However, I will still probably be able to get updates out at a reasonably fast pace, I hope, I all goes to plan. Anyway, I hope that everyone liked the chapter. Continue or not continue? Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter. I like hearing all feedback that you guys have. I do have few ideas planned for this story which I hope you guys will enjoy reading. Please review =)**


	2. Anna's Arrival In Arendelle

**Chapter 2: Anna's Arrival In Arendelle  
**

Elsa was sitting in her room on a bright and sunny Saturday morning. She had her headphones in connected to her iPhone, and was currently listening to Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls. She was mouthing the words as she tapped her pen against the piece of refill paper sitting in front of her. She was working on her Calculus homework. She had her textbook opened to page seventy-four next to her and a piece of paper that had a number of questions written on it. Elsa had already got through seventeen questions out of eighteen already. The last question was quite difficult. Elsa's tapping got a little more intense as she thought through the question.

Elsa's music shifted to Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson as she flicked through to the next page of her textbook. Elsa hummed the tune of the introduction of the song as she made a start on the question. She wasn't entirely sure of her answer but at least she had answered everything.

The sound of the front door opening could then be heard. The sound of her father greeting someone at the door then wafted through the air. Of course, Elsa thought as she sighed, Anna returns home this weekend. Anna had a couple of weeks break and so Anna had been invited home by her – their father, Elsa had to remind herself – so that she could spend some time with her family. She hadn't come home over the winter break as she had been invited by her friends to go to New York and thus missed Christmas with her family – although for Elsa it wasn't really a Christmas. Their father had been very gutted but had understood. He had allowed Anna to go and have fun with her friends. Anna had posted heaps of pictures of her and her friends on Facebook. Elsa couldn't help but have a twinge of jealously when she remembered this.

"Elsa!" yelled her father through the house.

Elsa quickly paused her music and took out her headphones. She never dared to keep the music too loud in case her father wanted her for something. Elsa quickly placed her phone on top of her homework and headed for the door. She caught sight of her face in the mirror that hung by her door.

Elsa was now eighteen years old and she was in her last year of school. Elsa bright blue eyes shined back at her in the mirror. There seemed to be a tiredness in them that wasn't new. Elsa then examined her face. There was still the outline of a bruise on her cheek. Over the years Elsa had developed some tricks to hide her injuries. Normally her father would be smart and not go anywhere that was easily visible but a few nights ago, he had lost his temper and got her face instead. Elsa use to wince in pain at these injuries but by now, she was used to them. They were every day occurrences for her.

Elsa grabbed her makeup kit and started to dab some makeup on. It started to look like nothing had ever happened. Elsa left her makeup on her dresser before she raced out of her room. Her father was hugging Elsa's younger sister, Anna at the door.

Anna was dressed in a white beanie that hung low with a matching white scarf. She wore a long black coat that was tied around her waist and had big buttons looped through holes. She wore long light blue denim jeans that were tucked into long black boots. Anna had a large suitcase sitting by the door. Anna and her father broke apart smiling at each other. As Anna never was around, she never saw her father's dark side. She never was the object of his rage. She never had his anger taken out on her. She was still innocent. She was safe and that was the main thing. As Anna wasn't around to make their father angry, she was considered his favourite daughter. Their father fawned on her and lavished her with expensive gifts and his love. Something that Elsa missed out on. She envied her sister's good fortune; her innocence and the love she received.

Due to Anna had growing up away from her family, she had no idea what was happening under the roof of her house. Anna boarded at her school along with all the other boarding students. Her father had done his best to make sure she never found out the truth about her family. She didn't know that Elsa feared for her life whenever her father grew very angry. She had no idea that her sister constantly cried herself to sleep every night when she was young, now Elsa had stopped; she had grown used to it. As if ironically, Anna had grown up resenting and being jealous of Elsa as Anna wanted to live with her family and at home instead of being sent away to some foreign country but Elsa had managed to convince their father that Anna needed to be away from home to become who her father had wanted to. It had worked and so Anna stayed where she was.

Anna had overheard these conversations when she was younger and thus blamed Elsa for sending her away. By the age of fifteen, Anna had grown to hate her sister – well that was the feeling that Elsa got from her sister, there wasn't a sisterly bond or much of a relationship between them due to Anna being far away and Elsa shutting her out all the time. Although Elsa always believed that Anna did love her deep down. But Anna was safe from their father where she was. Elsa didn't care that she had to pay the price of living with him. Anna didn't have to pay it and she never wanted her to. That price was too high for sister to pay.

Elsa paused, slightly concealing behind a jutting out wall. Her father and sister seemed to be talking about something. Anna was nodding and smiling widely. If Elsa had guess, their father had just asked Anna how she was or how school was doing. Anna looked around and saw Elsa hovering. Anna half-smiled at her older sister and Elsa returned it. Their father gestured for them all to go into the kitchen for lunch.

As soon as lunch was over, Elsa rushed back into her room. She put her headphones back in and started to resume her work. Once she was finished with her Calculus, she started on her Chemistry homework. Elsa worked very hard. She needed to have good grades so that she could leave Arendelle. She figured that if she got out, she could start her life over. She wouldn't even look back.

Elsa was searching for a certain diagram in her textbook when she heard a knock at the door. It wasn't her father. He would just barge into her room.

"Come in, Anna," Elsa said.

"How did you know it was me?" Anna asked as she entered her older sister's room. Anna had taken off her beanie, scarf, jacket and boots. She wore a red long sleeved shirt underneath and bright purple socks on her feet.

"Call it woman's intuition," Elsa muttered not even looking up.

"I haven't seen you in a while," Anna said in a stern voice, "and the first second you have, you run back to your room like always."

"I have lots of work to do," Elsa replied. "Besides, if I remember, you told me to stay away from you and I quote 'you are a fucking bitch, so stay away from me'."

"That is taken a little out of context," Anna scowled. "You were ignoring me and wouldn't even talk to me."

Elsa didn't say anything. Anna was speaking the truth. Elsa had ignored Anna because she didn't want to her to see her bruised face. This had gotten Anna made, so she had screamed some hurtful things before she raced off. That had been a year ago.

"What is wrong with you Elsa?" Anna asked. "I feel like whenever I see you, you're hiding something."

"I am not hiding anything," Elsa lied, speaking in a low voice.

"Bullshit," Anna said. She threw herself onto Elsa's bed. "I want fucking answers Elsa. You never see me. You never even talk to me. Hell, you never talk to anyone."

"Anna, just leave me alone," snapped Elsa. "I have work to do."

Anna looked mad but she forced herself to calm down. "Fine," she said in a calm voice. Anna got off her bed and pranced to the door. "If you want to be like that, be like that."

Anna slammed the door shut behind her. Elsa breathed a small sigh of relief. She hated having to push her sister away but she had no choice. Elsa didn't dare let anyone in. She couldn't.

The rest of the week passed without any incident. Elsa's father was happy that his other daughter had returned home for her holidays. Elsa wasn't yet on holiday. She had a week to go and that last week wasn't going to be easy. All of Elsa's classes were scheduling tests during that last week. Elsa was actually glad of this. It gave her an excuse to be alone in her room. Her father didn't really find in very fascinating watching her study, so he left her alone to drink and watch sports in lounge.

However, that Sunday night was the night when Elsa's father lost his good mood. That night, Anna had texted a few of her friends in Arendelle and they had organised going out to dinner together. Anna had waved goodbye to her family before heading out the door. Elsa had cooked dinner for her and her father before cleaning up the mess. By the time she was done, her father had finished eating and her dinner was cold. Elsa placed her dinner into the microwave to heat it up. Elsa had just been finishing up washing her plate when her father walked in. He looked angry. Elsa had seen him this angry before. She always got a little nervous.

"Yes dad?" she asked.

"What is this?" he growled. He produced a leaflet that was from a university in New Zealand. Elsa stared at it.

"That's just an advertisement for a university," Elsa said simply.

"Don't be a fucking smartass," her father advanced on her. Elsa started to sweat. "For the last time Elsa, you are either going to Oxford where the Dean, a very good friend of mine, can keep an eye on you or go to the University of Arendelle where I can keep an eye on you. You are not going half way around the world to go to some random university."

"I know that dad," Elsa took a step back. She had started to shake. "They were just handing out flyers. Everyone took one."

"Doesn't mean you have to take one!"

Elsa's father looked as angry as Elsa had ever seen him. He was starting to lose control and Elsa knew what would happen if he did. She had to defuse the situation as soon as possible. Elsa took another step back. Her head hit the pantry door behind her. Her father was right in front of her now. Elsa could feel fear coursing through her as she looked up at her father. She knew what was coming next.

"Dad," Elsa whispered but it didn't matter. Nothing she ever said in these situations ever did matter.

Her father's hands were suddenly around her throat. His hands tightened. Elsa felt all oxygen cut off. She started to chock. Her hands went to her father's hands as she desperately tried to pull her father off her but he was much too strong for her. Elsa started to splutter. She tried to tell her dad to stop, to get off her but his hands were tightening. Was this the end for her? Her father didn't seem to care that he was practically killing his own daughter.

"Dad!" sang Anna's voice throughout the house.

Elsa's father quickly let go of her and she fell to the floor. Elsa started to cough as she tried to regain her strength and breath. Her father cast a sideways glance of disgust towards her before heading off to find his other daughter.

"Fuck," Elsa whispered. "That was close."

Her father had nearly come close again. That hadn't been the first time, although that was the first time he had probably only been seconds away from killing her. Elsa massaged her neck. She felt tears stream down her face. The floor felt so cool and nice as Elsa remained on it. She didn't want to move from this spot. If she did, she would have to face her father again. He probably wouldn't let it go that she had been talking to other universities.

Her father didn't know that the second she got the chance, she would leave and never came back but she felt like that was a pipe dream. She could never get out. This was the life she had been handed. Sometimes she wished she could swap lives with Anna; live away from home in a nice school and away from any danger that her father could possess. But that was impossible.

Elsa carefully picked herself up from the ground. She felt quite dizzy and had to grip the kitchen bench to hold herself up. She tried to drink some water to help hydrate her. It wouldn't go down. She started to feel quite sick. She just made it to the sink before she up wrenched. This wasn't the first time this had happened to her and she doubted it would be the last.

Elsa decided that after a few minutes, she could leave the kitchen. Her father seemed absorbed in whatever Anna had called him for. Elsa was glad of this. Anna being around had its good points; her father was distracted and didn't always look for an excuse for pushing her around. However, Anna being here could mean that she could find out the truth. Elsa didn't want that. She idolised their father. She considered him to be a great role model. She wasn't alone in thinking this. Practically the whole of Arendelle loved him.

Elsa found her father laughing at something that Anna was showing him on her iPhone. It was some video or something. Elsa took advantage of this moment to sneak to bed. It was late and she had school the next day. Her father didn't like her staying up too late anyway. Elsa sometimes pretended to go to sleep. Sometimes she would need to stay up later in order to do things like the rest of her homework, the chores her dad set or attempting to get her plan together so that she can leave this hellhole. Her father's gaze caught hers. He just gave her a look as she passed. She wondered what could be going on in his head. Could he be cursing the interruption? Elsa hoped note. She didn't have a death wish. He turned his attention back to Anna as Elsa quickly walked passed. He put a smile on his face and pointed at the screen and laughed. Elsa wasn't aware that he could make such a sound. In the many years, he only laughed at whatever Anna showed him. That wasn't a surprise. His rage wasn't directed towards her.

Elsa opened her bedroom door and quickly closed it behind her. She slid down it and crumpled into herself. She cried into her knees as she just sat there. Time seemed to slow down as she just remained in that position. Elsa heard footsteps coming from outside. She quickly wiped her tears and headed to bed. It was late. School was in the morning. She didn't want to look tired as she usually did. Elsa got changed into her pyjamas; they long flannel pyjamas with little snowmen decorated on them. Elsa slid into bed and rested her head on her pillow still with tears streaming down her face. Her throat still hurt – painfully so. It was too often that she found herself in this position.

Sleep finally found its way to Elsa. She woke up hours later to her alarm going off. She groggily reached out to try and find her alarm clock. Elsa's alarm clock also doubled as an iPod stereo. It was long, slim and black. On the front showed the time and date. Elsa's hand finally found the 'off' button. Elsa rubbed her eyes and got up. She headed across the hallway to the shower. She got undressed and got into the shower. When she got out she examined her neck in the mirror in the bathroom. Some dark bruising could be seen. Elsa sighed. This wasn't going to be the first time she had to cover up something. Elsa quickly got dressed into clean clothes. Her father actually got her nice clothes – well he sent his secretary to go buy her clothes – as he wanted her to look presentable. He always told her that if she was a Winters, she should dress like one. Elsa made sure to pick a top with a high collar. As she examined herself in her mirror, she noticed that it didn't quite cover everything. She picked out a scarf and wrapped it around her neck which did the trick.

Once she had finished breakfast she headed out the door. She hadn't seen Anna or her father yet which was a good thing. Anna was probably having a sleep in as it was her holidays and she always made sure that she got up earlier than her father so that she had as little as possible interaction with him. Elsa found one of her father's cars and headed over to it. Her father didn't want her to catch the bus like the other students. Despite being hated by her father, he did allow her to have some luxuries of the Winters' family. Looks were very important to him. Elsa slid into the back seat of a luxury car with one of father's drivers sitting in the front seat waiting for her. As soon as Elsa was in the car and had her seatbelt on, the driver took off. He drove her carefully to Elsa's school; Olaf Arendelle College – one of the most prestige school in Norway and named after Elsa's ancestor. Elsa stepped into the school's courtyard, thanked the driver and headed out with her bag on her back.

There was a lot of chatter in the courtyard. People were anxious for the week to be over so that they can be on holiday at long last. Elsa was probably the only person in the entire school, maybe even world who hated being on holiday. School was a good distraction for her. It provided her with an excuse to be away from her father eight hours a day. Also Elsa had found concentrating on her school work was a good distraction from her pain that she had to endure day after day.

The first thing Elsa did was go to her locker to get the books she needed for the day. Elsa put in her English folder into her locker and took out her Biology books and Economic books. Elsa took off her jacket and placed that in her locker as well. She was starting to overheat a little. She made sure to leave on her scarf though. Elsa had a small mirror in her locker. She had installed it one day when she had come to school and realised that she had marks on her neck several years ago. Thankfully no one had noticed but it had been close. Her jacket had covered it up which was the reason for no one noticing it.

"Hey Elsa!" the voice of her old friend, Rapunzel could suddenly be heard from behind her locker door.

Elsa closed the door and found Rapunzel, indeed, standing behind it. She grinned at Elsa and flicked her long blonde hair out of her face. Rapunzel and Elsa had known each other when they were kids. Their mothers had gone to school together and so it was only natural that they grew up knowing each other. Elsa and Rapunzel had grown apart over the years but they always remained on good terms. Growing up abused, Elsa isolated herself from everyone over the years and kept her head down. However some friends still remained over the years which Elsa was grateful for. Sometimes she needed someone other than her father to talk to. Although Elsa was terrified that someone would discover her secret. Some people had asked over the years if she was okay and Elsa would always be able to convince them that everything was fine. There were moments when Elsa wished that she had told someone but she was probably suffering from Stockholm syndrome or something similar.

"Hi Rapunzel," Elsa said.

She swung her backpack over shoulder and walked down the corridor with Rapunzel right next to her.

"You nervous about the test tomorrow?" Rapunzel asked. Elsa shook her head. "Of course not," Rapunzel laughed. "Elsa the genius is never nervous, got some nerves of steel." She playfully punched Elsa. Elsa forced a smile. If only she knew the truth.

The bell rang and Rapunzel waved goodbye to Elsa with a big smile on her face. Rapunzel muttered something about not wanting to be late for art class. Rapunzel raced off in the direction of the art building, Elsa's face fell slightly as she walked towards the science building. She had Physics first thing. This was going to be a long morning. Elsa took a seat in her usual spot at the back of the classroom. Mr Brady gave her a smile as she hurried into the door. Elsa sat down at her desk and got out her pen and Physics book.

"Alright class, settle down," Mr Brady said over the noise of the class chattering. "Get out your homework. We're going to go through it. What did everyone get for the first question? Nick?"

Nick answered that the final velocity of the tennis ball that had been hit was twenty point three four five metres per second. Mr Brady said that the answer was correct. Elsa put a little red tick next to her answer for question one. She had included more decimal figures but she had gotten the answer correctly.

"Elsa," Mr Brady said and Elsa looked up when her name was called.

"Yes sir," Elsa looked down at her answer. "The answer is true, the air resistance can be negligible."

"Very good," Mr Brady smiled.

Elsa smiled as she ticked her second answer. So far, so good. Mr Brady continued to pace up and down the front of the classroom asking other children questions to do with the homework. Some kids got the question right and some got it wrong. Mr Brady was one of those teachers that made sure that every kid got the concepts he taught so when a kid answered a question wrongly, he helped them get the right answer.

Elsa walked into the cafeteria at lunch time later that day. She got some food and sat down at an empty table. It was the last one left. The other tables were full to bursting. Elsa did prefer to sit alone but usually her friends would come over and sit with her which was a refreshing moment. Speaking of friends, Rapunzel and her other friend Merida came down at sat opposite her. They all smiled at each other as they did.

"Hey Elsa," both of them said.

"How was class?" Merida asked.

"Fine," shrugged Elsa.

"Guess what!" Rapunzel practically squealed the words.

"Flynn finally asked you out?" Merida asked.

Rapunzel and Flynn Rider aka Eugene Fitzherbert had been flirting with each other over the course of the year. Elsa and Merida had been placing bets on when they were getting together. Merida has lost sixty dollars so far.

"When?" Elsa shovelled a large portion of coleslaw into her mouth.

"This Friday!" Rapunzel said.

"Way to celebrate the end of term," Elsa said.

"Thankfully you don't have any tests to study for," Merida added.

"That is true," Rapunzel smiled. "God, I am so excited, I could scream!"

Elsa and Merida both laughed. Merida causally placed a twenty dollar bill into Elsa's open palm under the table. Elsa snuck it into her wallet. Elsa then reached for the tomato sauce to squirt over her chips.

"Elsa, what's that on your neck?" Rapunzel's voice sounded quite sharp.

"What?" Elsa quickly rearranged her scarf. She guessed it must have shifted position as she reached over for the tomato sauce bottle.

"There's something on your neck," Rapunzel said. Rapunzel leaned forward and extended her fingers out in Elsa's direction. Elsa swatted her fingers away.

"What's up Elsa?" Merida asked.

"It's nothing," Elsa said.

"You sure?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yeah," Elsa nodded. "Everything is fine."

Neither Rapunzel or Merida looked convinced. Elsa decided that it was best to steer clear of these dangerous waters. Elsa suddenly started to talk about possible date locations for Rapunzel's date with Flynn. It worked. Rapunzel continued to gush about her upcoming date. It seemed to distract Merida as well as she continued to laugh at Rapunzel's reactions.

"Elsa?" another voice came from Elsa's left.

Elsa looked up and saw Kristoff Bjorgman standing next to her carrying a tray of food. Kristoff was many of the same classes as Elsa. He was smart but very shy. He also had some kind of reindeer complex which just made people think he is very weird. Elsa often saw him walking his Chocolate Labrador dog, Sven.

"Hey Kristoff," Elsa said. "What can I do for you?"

"Could I ask a favour?" he asked.

"Sure," Elsa nodded. "What can I do?"

"I'm failing Chemistry," Kristoff said. He sighed deeply. Elsa could see the pain in his eyes. Elsa was aware of this fact. Kristoff's grades had been dropping recently and his parents weren't very happy about this. They wanted him to pull up his socks. They were threatening to cut his pocket money if he didn't. Elsa remembered those days; get good marks or face her father's wrath. "I need some help for the upcoming test. Would you mind spending tomorrow afternoon at your place to do some study? I would offer my place but it's being painted and we're staying at my Grandad's place and it's a little cramp with no privacy."

"Let me ask my dad," Elsa said. "But I'm sure it will be fine."

"Thanks Elsa," Kristoff looked a lot happier at Elsa's answer.

He slid into the empty seat next to her and ate while grinning. Elsa went back to her food. Her face fell slightly. She wasn't allowed boys at her house. This was going to be an interesting conversation that she was going to have with her father.

 **A/N: Hey guys, I would firstly like to apologise for the lack of updates (with this story and with Thirst). My laptop has been having issues and so I had to get those sorted out. It has been a total nightmare and so I haven't been at all which has made me feel very sad. Thankfully, now those issues are done with, it has just been very annoying. But on the plus side I'm getting a new laptop next week! I am so excited! I cannot wait for my new laptop!** ** **Anyway,** that's enough rambling from me. I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Thanks for the interest, I will be sure to keep writing this story. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **gracialoveme (guest): Hey Irene, you shared some pretty emotional stuff and I'm glad you shared it. I hope that our conversation had inspired you to take some form of action. Really flattered and honored that you shared it with me. Stay strong and stay awesome. As I have said before, I am always here if you need to talk more on this. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story and find it promising. I shall hopefully continue to make it even better.  
**

 **Frostbite Productions: Okay, interesting.**

 **brilliz: Thanks, I hope you like the next chapter as much as the first.**

 **ZERO-xxx: I do try and make things similar to the source material but with some changes here and there. Thanks so much for the flattering comment. By the way, I love your story Marionette and I'm always excited to see new updates. It is an amazing story that I am totally engulfed in. I kind of fangirled when I read your review.**

 **ziabee99: Welcome back. I have missed reading your reviews. Yeah this story will be sad but there will be some happy moments in this story (I think we both know what moments I am talking about). It is very sad that this sort of thing happens in real life. It is something that makes me feel sick. Thanks so much for the comment! Have you been reading any of my other stories? Like Thirst which is still being written - I need to get the next chapter up soon.**

 **Surika Baquest: Thanks so much! Will continue as requested!**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks so much! I shall keep going!**


	3. A Night Out

**Chapter 3: A Night Out**

Kristoff hurried home. He had just made the bus. He often found himself nearly missing the bus or actually missing the bus and end up having to walk home. He had to race through a crowd of people, jump over the steps outside the front entrance and run as fast as he could to the line buses that were waiting. The bus driver gave him a small smile as he leapt onto the bus, panting hard. Kristoff headed down the bus to the very back where one last seat was waiting.

Kristoff took a seat next to a random girl that he did recognise. Kristoff knew that she would normally be wearing some random band t-shirt that had a grey skull behind the name of the band with long black pants but today she was in her school uniform. She had short, spiky black hair with pink highlights that every teacher tutted about. She had taken out her nose ring and her mouth piercings. She had headphones in her ears and she was head banging to some punk rock band. The girl kind of scared Kristoff. She didn't even look up when he sat down.

Kristoff was glad when his stop arrived. The bus was noisy but Kristoff preferred the silence - not that he often got it. His stop was one of the last ones but despite it being one there were still a lot of school children on the bus. Kristoff pushed his way through the hordes of students to make his way to the front of the bus. He gave the driver a small smile and a word of thanks before he leapt off the bus. Kristoff walked down the street from the bus stop towards his grandfather's house.

His grandfather's house was small. It could only house about three people at a push. It now housed double that; his parents, brother, sister, grandfather and of course, his pet dog, Sven. It was a squeeze. When Kristoff entered the house, he found his grandfather, Pabbie, talking about something or another with his father, Cliff. Kristoff's entire family was not his biological family. When he was a small child, his parents were killed in a car crash. Kristoff didn't remember the crash at all. It happened just after he turned two years old. After being in an orphanage for nearly four years, he was finally adopted by Cliff and his wife Bulda when they came to the orphanage. Kristoff loved his new family the moment he saw them. He couldn't have asked for anyone better to adopt him. They loved him and he loved them. They provided him with a home that Kristoff simply adored. Sven came along only a few years ago. He was a present from Cliff to Kristoff as Kristoff used to have a dog when he was younger but not until recently did they have the money for one. They weren't the richest of people.

"Ah Kris, you're home!" called his mother from the kitchen.

Kristoff took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen. His mother was busy cooking dinner for all of them. His brother and sister weren't home just yet. His sister had netball practice until later that night and his brother was in a study group with friends.

"Hello mum," he gave her a small kiss on her cheek. "Can I help?"

His mother looked grateful for the offer.

Half an hour later, the table was full of food. Kristoff's siblings had walked in the door right at that moment. They both looked relieved to see food on the table. They headed straight to the food and started to inhale it into their mouths. Kristoff just laughed at his siblings' behaviour. They did this practically every single night.

"How was practice?" their mother said to Kristoff's sister.

"Fine," she said. "I was on Goal Attack and I managed to get some goals."

"That's my granddaughter," Pabbie gave her a high-five.

"So Kristoff," his father said. "How's studying going? I know you have a test on Friday for Chemistry."

"I'm hopefully going over to Elsa's tomorrow to study," Kristoff said.

"That's good," his mother, Bulda, said. "Elsa's a nice girl."

"Very shy though," Kristoff's sister said.

"Ah well," Kristoff's said, "Elsa's just a quiet girl. She likes to keep to herself but hopefully she can give me a tutoring lesson tomorrow if her father says yes."

* * *

Elsa hurried out of her final class of the day. She was running late. She had stayed behind to discuss some things with her teacher about some things that had been mentioned in class. The time ended up ticking away. Elsa hurried out of the school's front entrance. She found her ride waiting patiently for her. The driver was on the phone. She hoped he wasn't talking to her father about her being late. The driver hung up his phone the moment Elsa came into his vision.

Elsa swung into the backseat of the car and the driver took off. When Elsa got home, Anna answered the door. She had a smile on her face but that wasn't unusual. Anna usually had one on her face. Elsa greeted Anna when she walked through the door.

"Hey Elsa," Anna said. "How was school?"

Elsa shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

Elsa headed to her room and threw her backpack onto her bed. Her teachers hadn't given any homework as they were near the end of the school term. It was also give them time to study for the tests they had coming up. Anna hadn't followed her in. Instead she had gone back into her own room. Elsa could hear the latest popular music coming from her room. Sighing, Elsa sat down at her desk and got her books out in front of her. Elsa had trouble concentrating on her work. Anna had her music way too loud and it was pounding through the house. Elsa tried to block out the noise but it was of no use. Elsa sighed again.

She got to her feet and headed down the corridor and knocked on her sister's door.

"Yeah?" Anna called.

"Could you turn down your music please?" Elsa asked.

"Oh sorry!" the music dimmed and now Elsa could only hear a faint noise coming from within Anna's bedroom.

"Thanks," Elsa called back.

Elsa headed back to her room and took her seat behind her desk again. The silence was a relief to Elsa. She put her pen to paper and started to write out some notes.

* * *

Anna searched her wardrobe for the best outfit. She and several friends were going to go to town and have some fun. She needed a cute outfit though and so she choose long black tights to go with a short black skirt, a red overcoat to go over a white blouse and red high heels. She wound a white scarf around her neck and placed a white beanie on the top of her hair. She did a small twirl in the mirror. She let out a small giggle. She thought that she looked pretty cute. Anna grabbed a small shoulder purse and swung it over her shoulder before she left her room and closed the door behind her.

'Going out," she called.

"Got your phone?" her father called out.

Anna quickly checked that she had. "Yes!"

"Wallet?"

"Yes!"

"Keys?"

"Yes!"

"Good girl! Now go have fun!"

"I shall," Anna quickened out the door.

Her friend from her school, Zoë, was picking her up. Her mother was going to drive them to central Arendelle where all the good bars, restaurants, shops, parks, hang out points etc. were. They were going to meet a couple of other mutual friends from school. Zoë was also from Arendelle. She was a tall girl with long brunette hair with blonde highlights. Her green eyes shone at Anna as she got into the car. She wore a black leather jacket over a white shirt with smart blue jeans with flat black shoes.

Unlike Zoë, the other friends that they were going to meet were not from Arendelle. In fact, they were both natives to Switzerland. They had flown to Arendelle. Anna had told them that Arendelle was a nice holiday spot and they had decided to spend their winter break there. Anna was glad that they had. She didn't have a lot of friends in Arendelle as she spent most of her time within the Swiss boarders. The only person who would spend time with her is her father. They had already gone to lunch a few times during the working week but he was busy with his work. She couldn't ask her sister. Elsa was always busy and never seen to have time for her. Anna often wondered why. Elsa was always quite a withdrawn person but she couldn't worry about that now. She had to concentrate on her night out with friends.

Zoë's mother drove the car out of the driveway and onto the street.

"So Anna," Zoë asked as soon as she got into the car. "It feels like forever since I saw you last."

"Zoë, it's been like a week," Anna laughed. "But I know what you mean. I feel like an age has passed since we last saw each other." Zoë giggled. "So what's the plan?"

"I got a nice restaurant booked for us," Zoë said. "We will meet Céline and Audrey there. They are both super keen for this."

"As am I," Anna gushed.

Zoë's mother drove them into the main part of Arendelle. She parked outside The Arendelle Grill – one of the nicest (and expensive) restaurants in Arendelle. Anna had dined there several times in her life. Each time was a fond memory in her mind – however the last time (which took place only a couple of years ago), there was something about her sister. She was extremely quiet and she kept giving their father nervous looks whenever he wasn't looking. Anna wondered what could have been on her sister's mind. Anna found herself often wondering that.

"Here we are!" sang Zoë. "I wonder if Céline and Audrey have already arrived."

"Maybe?" shrugged Anna. "Céline is always a punctual girl, Audrey – not so much."

Zoë giggled. She knew what Anna was on about. Often when they were sitting in class, Audrey would always be the last one in the room while Céline was always the first there. Anna thanked Zoë's mother for driving them.

"It's no trouble," Zoë's mother said as she waved a hand as if it was nothing.

"Yeah thanks mum," Zoë gave her mother a small kiss on the check.

"I'll be on standby for your text," Zoë's mother said.

They leapt out of the car and waved at her. She waved back and drove on. Anna and Zoë headed into the restaurant and looked around for their friends. Anna stood on tiptoe to see if she could spot their friends. Zoë didn't have to stand on tiptoe; she was tall enough to see over the heads of everyone. Neither one of them were sure that they were in there.

"I'll give Audrey a text," Zoë said getting out her phone.

"There!" Anna said after a few minutes of searching and interrupting Zoë's texting.

Céline and Audrey were both sitting at a table not too far away. Audrey had her raven coloured hair wrapped up in a tight bun (Anna was reminded of Elsa again). She wore an elegant black dress and had her grey coat over her chair. Céline, on the other hand, had her blonde hair out but she did have a portion of it clipped up using a hair clip. Céline had her dark blue jacket draped over her chair like Audrey. She had a long sleeved red top on and a long black skirt which matched her long black tights and black heels.

Anna noticed that they had already ordered some drinks which Céline was sipping on. Anna also noticed that their hands were quite close together. Anna couldn't help but smile. They made their way towards them. There was a chorus of greetings between the four girls as they all sat down. A waiter came over and Anna and Zoë ordered drinks; two lemonades for the pair of them. Anna and Zoë ordered their food not too long after that. While they waited, the conversation started.

"So how are things going for you?" Audrey asked, sipping on her coke.

"Fine," Anna said. "It's nice being home."

"Arendelle is a nice place to visit," Céline commented looking around the restaurant. "You were right Anna."

"I often am," Anna held up her drink as if she was toasting someone.

All three of them chuckled to each other. Their food soon arrived. Anna looked down at her lamb chops. They looked delicious. Anna took a bite out of it. It was delicious.

"So tell us about your family," Céline asked as she dug into her swordfish.

"Nothing really to tell," Anna shrugged. "Just dad and my sister, Elsa."

"Why doesn't Elsa go to school with you?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know," Anna shrugged again. "Dad decided to send me away to boarding school and Elsa to school in Arendelle. That's just the way things went."

Audrey left the conversation at that. After they had their dinner, all four girls headed out into the streets of Arendelle. Anna pointed out particular shops that had decent things for them to buy. They had to drag Zoë away from a store window which sported several high class brands of handbags. Zoë whined as they did which made them all laugh.

Zoë had a sister who worked in one of the local bars, so they decided to stop there and say hello to her. They turned a corner and entered 'The Local Norwegian'. The bar was a large establishment and was teaming with customers. There were several high wooden tables erected around the room and at the front was a man making drinks from behind the counter. Loud music was being played over the speakers and quite a number of the customers were dancing to the music. The other customers were sitting at the tables; eating or drinking. Anna and her friends made their way to the counter.

"ID before I can serve you drinks," the bartender said.

"We're looking for Charlotte," Zoë said.

The bartender obliged and came back a few seconds later with a woman who looked like an older version of Zoë.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Thought we would come and say hello," Zoë said to her sister.

"Thanks," Charlotte said. "Tonight is really busy so I can't really talk but can I get you anything? Coke? Lemonade?"

They order some drinks and waited at a table. Charlotte came back with their drinks and some hot chips that were 'on the house'. They all sipped their drinks while they looked around the room. It wasn't long before a tall, handsome looking gentleman came walking to Anna. He had ginger hair that ended in long sideburns. He wore a fetching looking suit that was tailored. He had a man who could only be his brother. He had shorter and cropped ginger hair though and a less flashy looking suit. Anna was attracted the first man immediately. She could already feel a crush starting to form. The other man, who Anna assumed was his brother, was nice looking but Anna was pulled towards the other an. There was just something about this man that made Anna want to hang around to find out.

"Hello," said the man with the sideburns. "I happened to be just across the room and I noticed you sitting there and I couldn't help but wonder if such a fine woman is available for a dance."

Anna giggled. "I may be."

Anna's head was exploding. How often does a handsome looking stranger come up to her and ask her to dance? The answer to that was like never. She couldn't believe her luck.

"The name's Hans Westergaard," the man said, introducing himself. "This is my brother Mikael." He gestured to him.

Anna recognised the name. She knew that they were some important family but she didn't know much more than that. Elsa would know but who Hans was related too wasn't really something he should worry about.

"Nice to meet you both," all four woman said.

Anna walked onto the dance floor with Hans holding her hand. They danced for the next two songs. Anna couldn't help but examine his handsome features. Hans spoke with charm and extravagance. He was clearly a well put together young man. As they dance Anna noticed some people laughing and taking pictures of Hans.

"Sorry," Hans said. "Guess my party reputation is getting the best of me. The media likes to exaggerate things."

"I understand," Anna said. "Anything to sell stories."

"It's so nice to find someone who understands," Hans said. "Girls read stories about how I'm a player and have like ten girls on the side but that's not true. The girls who I am actually dating – and there haven't been a lot of them – see stories like this and believe it is true and then break up with me."

Anna felt sorry for him. Her own family was often in the papers and she often had to deal with the media. Anna gave him a sadden expression to which he grinned.

"But we came to dance," Hans gave her a small twirl, "not to get sad."

Anna gave him a smile as they continue to dance. She enjoyed dancing with Hans. He seemed to be different from the boys from her school who all seem to act really immature. When they had finished dancing, Hans led her back to her table. She was flushed from all the excitement.

"May I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"Okay," Anna giggled.

Hans ordered her another coke and they sat down at the table. All six of them began chatting the evening away. Anna found the Westergaard brothers very easy to talk to. Mikael was handsome, yes, but she was more attracted to Hans. The more she talked to him, the more she connected with him.

"So wait, you have twelve older brothers?" Anna asked when Hans told her that they weren't the only two children of their family.

"Three of them pretended I was invisible," Hans said. "For two years."

"That's horrible!"

"That's what brothers do," Hans said while Mikael gave a small laugh. Anna wondered if he was one of the brothers who shut Hans out but the way Hans was acting around him told her that they were close.

"And sisters," Anna said. "Elsa, my sister, and I were really close when we were little then she just shut me out and I never knew why."

They must have stayed at that bar for the next three hours because Zoë had checked her watch and said that her mother must be anxious by now. Anna was sad to see the evening go. She just wanted to spend more time with Hans and by the looks of things, the feeling was mutal.

"May I have your number?" Hans asked as Anna got to her feet.

"You may," Anna giggled. Hans gave her his phone and she typed in her number. Anna then sent a text to herself so that she would have Hans' number in her phone.

"How about a date this Friday?" Hans asked. "If you could bring a friend for my brother, we could make it a double date?"

"Sure!" Anna cast her mind around for a suitable person. Zoë had a boyfriend and besides, she wasn't the right age. Hans was a little older than her – maybe more like Elsa's age – and since he was the youngest, Mikael was older than that. Céline and Audrey weren't available for obvious reasons – they can deny it all they like but Anna knew the truth. Anna's mind then landed on one person; her sister Elsa. Anna flicked through her phone for a picture of her sister. "This is Elsa, she's my sister. The one I was telling you both about. I'm sure she would be up for some fun."

"You sure she isn't taken?" Mikael asked.

"I am sure," Anna laughed. Mikael seemed quite taken with the picture of her sister. Mikael was just absorbed in the picture.

"So tell me about her," Mikael asked.

"Er," Anna didn't really know what to say. She didn't know a lot about her older sister. Elsa often kept to herself and stayed out of everyone's way. "She does science stuff. I think she wants to be a doctor or a lawyer maybe."

"Same!" Mikael said. "Well I would prefer medical school but law school sounds is quite the accomplishment as well."

"Indeed," Anna laughed. "I could never do it. Although nursing sounds interesting."

"So what kind of music does she like? Favourite bands? Favourite books? Does she like art? Where did she like grow up?"

"Well we both grew up here in Arendelle," Anna said. "As to the others –" Anna paused. She had just realised that she knew like nothing about Elsa. They had grown up apart from each other and thus weren't really apart of either's lives. Anna was always under the assumption that Elsa didn't really want anyone to know her, that she just wanted to fade into the background. There were even days that Anna thought that Elsa didn't even want to know her own family. Anna hoped that was absurd but deep down inside of her, she thought it was true. "You have to find out," Anna quickly finished the sentence. "I don't want to give too much away do I?"

Mikael laughed. "True, we have to have something to talk about."

"Mum's here," Zoë suddenly interrupted their conversation.

"Until Friday then," Hans said smiling widely.

"Until Friday," Anna nodded and returned Hans' smile. "Elsa and I will both see you boys there."

* * *

The next couple of hours passed with nothing happening. Elsa made herself some cereal for dinner as Anna had gone out with friends again. Her father had called saying that he wouldn't be present for dinner as he had business meetings that ran till eight in the evening. Once Elsa had finished her dinner, tidied her bedroom, made sure the kitchen was spotless and got everything ready for the next morning, it was nearly eight o'clock. Elsa felt a little panicky. Her father liked everything to be ready for him by the time he got home.

Elsa hurried into the lounge. She made sure that the remote was by her father's favourite armchair, had a bowl of chips near it and a bottle of cold beer sitting next to it. Elsa's father's drinking hadn't exactly improved over the years. In fact, it had gotten worse. If her father didn't own his own company, he probably would have been fired at least a dozen times by now. Elsa didn't dare to bring up the topic of his drinking. The last time she did, well Elsa didn't exactly want to think about that.

Elsa hurried back into her room just in time. She heard the door opening and her father scuffled into the house. Elsa poked her head around the edge of her door. Her father was clearly a little drunk from whatever meeting he had gone to. Elsa saw him place his things on the kitchen table before going into the lounge. Elsa soon heard the sounds of a sports game flowing through the air. Elsa waited a while until she heard the game ending before she went to talk to her father.

He was sitting in his favourite chair, drinking more beer. He had installed a cooler years ago and it was Elsa's job to keep it stocked. His eyes glared up at his eldest daughter. He seemed to be angry at being interrupted. Normally she wouldn't but this was the only time when her father was in any kind of good mood.

"What?" he growled at her.

"Er dad," Elsa said. "Would it be okay if one of my friends comes home with me after school to study for the test we have on Friday?"

"Which friend? Do I know her?"

"Er, I don't know if you know him," Elsa said a little timidly.

"Him?" her father repeated.

"My friend, Kristoff," Elsa said, her voice getting smaller and smaller.

"I have said no boys Elsa," her father got to his feet. Elsa cowered under his glare.

"I know that," Elsa squeaked. "But he needs my help. Wouldn't it be better if he comes here so you can keep an eye on us?"

She had said the magic words. Her father stopped and stroked his moustache. He seemed to be thinking hard.

"It will just be study, correct?" he said.

"Of course," Elsa nodded vigorously. "He just needs me to go over some questions with him."

"One toe out of line and you know what will happen."

"Y-Yes sir," Elsa stammered.

Elsa turned to leave but her father called her back.

"You were late home today," her father said in a dangerous voice.

"Sorry but-" Elsa's voice suddenly died. Her father was removing his belt and she knew what that meant.

"Turn around," he said.

"But dad, it wasn't my fault!" she said.

"Turn around!" her father snarled at her.

Elsa did as she asked. Her father didn't need much of a reason to do this anymore. It started when he was really angry and now he did it whenever he wanted to teach her a lesson.

"Life up your shirt," he said. He wanted to make sure that his belt hit skin and not get cushioned by layers that Elsa was wearing.

Elsa did so and revealed scaring and burns that had been accumulated over the years. Elsa braced herself for the pain. There was a moment where Elsa thought that maybe her father might have reconsidered doing what he was about to do but of course, that was all in vein. A sharp, searing pain soon coursed through her as metal collided with skin. The buckle of her father's had made its usual journey to her back. Elsa placed her hands on the wall of the lounge to brace herself. She nearly had fallen down before with the first hit.

Even though Elsa had experienced this many times before, the pain just seemed to get worse and worse. It may have something to do with old wounds being reopened and new ones forming. The open wound on her back stung as it was exposed to the air. Elsa felt another sharp pain and then another as her father whacked her again and again with his belt. Elsa could feel tears coming down her face but she refused to show them to her father. He would just mock her for crying. He had done so before. She didn't dare to make a single sound.

"Go," her father simply stated when he had finished.

Elsa hurried out of the room, not bothering to pull her top down over her wounds. Elsa quickly headed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She then examined her wounds in the mirror. Four long bloody gashes could be seen. Elsa was glad it had been only his belt this time. She had experienced much worse before.

Elsa got some water and a flannel and washed her wounds clean. She wiped away any excess blood that there might be before Elsa found an antibacterial spray and squirted it over her wounds. When the spray got to her wounds, it stung slightly. Elsa winced as it did. Elsa then got a bandage from a nearby cupboard to wrap around her lower back. Elsa paused as she examined her work in the mirror. She sighed before lowering her top.

Elsa threw herself onto her bed once she got back to her bedroom. She lay on her front with her top taken off. The top felt weird with her bandages on so she had removed it. Elsa cried into her pillow as the throbbing pain from her back finally became too much for her. Elsa often found herself in this position. She wished it could end, that it could die but it would never. The only way Elsa was going to get out of this mess was by escaping which could never happen. Her father had too much control over her life. If she escaped, he would find her and the punishment would be too much.

Is this how her life was going to be until she got her own home? Or would it continue then? If by some chance she had kids, would he do the same to them as he did to her? Elsa had to consider the possibility. Well, if that did happen, Elsa would do whatever she could to stop that from happening. Her children were not going to live in the same fear that she lived in. This was of course in the fictional world where she did have children. She doubted that she ever would anyway.

The door then opened and Elsa knew who that was. Anna had returned from her night out and was probably really excited. Again, Elsa felt a pang of jealousy. Anna could go and do whatever she wanted. She had her whole life in front of her for her to mould. Elsa didn't. Her father had decided that a long time ago. Anna came down the corridor and Elsa heard her do stuff in her room. What sounded like shoes being kicked off could be heard as two loud thumps against the wall. A knock on her own door could be heard only a couple of minutes later.

"Elsa!" sang Anna's voice.

Elsa got to her feet. "Just a second!"

Elsa darted for her top and slid it down her body. She over turned her pillow as the other side had tear marks on it. Elsa took one final look around her room to make sure that any sign of the night's events was gone. Elsa grabbed one of her books on her bedside and lay down on her bed and flicked to a random page.

"Come in," Elsa called.

Anna walked in and she beamed at Elsa. Whatever had happened to her over the night seemed to have put her in a good mood. Elsa placed the book she was pretending to read on her bedside table.

"Yes?" Elsa said. She winced slightly as she moved due to the pain but she pretended nothing was there.

"Oh my fucking God Elsa," Anna said. She started to pace back and forwards around Elsa's room. She seemed to be super excited about something. Elsa wondered what it could be. Something pretty amazing had to have happened to put Anna in this kind of mood. Maybe she had met a celebrity or something of that sort. Anna was a fan of Taylor Swift. Maybe her? Elsa remembered a few years back when Anna had gone to a CD signing for Taylor Swift and she was bouncing off the walls with excitement.

"What?" Elsa asked as politely as she could.

"I may have met my soulmate," Anna said.

"So soon?" Elsa said.

"He is Hans Westergaard and he is a total dreamboat," Anna flushed.

"Oh," Elsa had heard about the Westergaards.

The Westergaards owned some flashy business in The Southern Isles – a small series of islands near Arendelle. They were rich and all thirteen brothers were very handsome. Elsa didn't know if her father approved of them or not but he had done business with them over the years. They were one of her father's biggest clients.

"So, Hans has invited me on a date next Friday night," Anna continued while ignoring Elsa. "The best part is that he has an older brother Mikael who, when I showed him a picture of you Elsa, started to ask questions about you like if you were single, blah blah blah. Anyway, I told him that you will be there. Isn't this fun? A double date!"

"Er," Elsa wasn't really sure how she was supposed to respond to this. In any normal family, the idea sounded fantastic but she knew in her family just how it was going to go down. Her father would never let her go on a double date. She wasn't even sure if her father would let Anna go. Guess, Elsa was going to have to lie to her sister, again. "Sorry, Anna," Elsa sighed. "Sounds great but I'm not really in the mood to be set up on a date with a guy I have never met before.'

"Aw, come on Elsa!" Anna whined. "It'll be fun, promise!" She made puppy dog eyes. They always worked with their father. Elsa sighed. She knew there would be no way that their father would agree to this. He had almost forbidden Elsa from having Kristoff over for a study session. "Besides Elsa, you would have finished school by then. Come on, what do you have to lose?"

"Only if dad says yes," she finally said.

"Okay, yay!" Anna clapped her hands together. Elsa smiled. This way, she wasn't the bad guy and she knew that there would be no way that their father would say yes. She just hoped that Anna wasn't too crushed when they couldn't go. Although she wondered how her father was going to phase that Anna could go but she couldn't. This was going to be interesting to watch.

" _Absolutely no!_ " that was the answer their father gave when Anna had asked him. They were sitting together at the kitchen table. Anna had wanted some late night snack and Elsa had followed her in. Their father had been excited to hear what kind of news Anna had said she had but the minute she told him, his father turned into a scowling expression.

"But dad!" whined Anna.

"But no!" he said to her. "I don't like the idea of my daughters cavorting with two men that I have never met."

"You know the Westergaards though."

"Exactly! They have a reputation. That boy Hans – is said to have a girl in every city! I won't allow you to be his Arendelle girl."

"Dad, that's just the media. In reality, he's only had a few girlfriends."

"No," their father folded his arms. "The Westergaards are not people you girls - that includes you Elsa - should be hanging around. So my answer is no!"

Anna turned to Elsa. "Come on, back me up!"

"Er," Elsa took one look at her father. She was afraid of her father's reaction despite her agreeing that Anna shouldn't go out with Hans. Hans was trouble, well in her opinion anyway. She had heard all about the way Hans Westergaard acted around woman. She had seen his name flashed in more than one magazine and the headline that accompanied it was never good. "I think dad's right. We don't know these boys."

"Thank you Elsa," that was a shock to hear coming out of their father's mouth but Elsa decided not to show it. "Now listen to your older sister."

"Thanks," Anna said highly sarcastically to her sister in a growling like manner. Anna swept her long strawberry-blonde hair out of her eyes and pranced out of the room leaving her sister and her father in the room together.

"Er, think I'm going to go to bed," Elsa said but her father held out a hand to stop her.

"You should have told her no," he said. "I'm going to assume that's what you did."

"I did," Elsa said quickly. She didn't want another fight, not tonight, not ever.

"Hmph, alright," he said. "Next time, be more firm. You are not her friend. You are her older sister."

"Yes father," she said.

"Now get out of my sight," he snarled.

Elsa quickly scurried away. Once out of sight, she let out a sigh of relief. Well _that_ could have gone down much worse than it did but she didn't question it, she was just glad of the break, she didn't often get them. Although she did wonder why she got one. Her father didn't often give them but maybe he just assumed, for once, that Elsa did tell Anna what she told him or maybe he was tired and didn't want to dive into this further. The possibilities were endless. She just decided to leave it be and wonder about her sister's reaction. She just hoped that Anna wasn't too disappointed or upset that she couldn't go. Of course, Elsa was just lying to herself. She found Anna sitting on her bed looking quite stern and her arms folded. Elsa tensed herself for the fight that was about to occur.

"What was _that_?" she yelled at Elsa. "I thought we were in this fucking thing together!"

"I said only if dad agrees which he did not!" Elsa yelled back. She was so sick at being at fault for everything. That was just the way her life was. Every little thing that ever went wrong, Elsa was somehow responsible for everything.

"I thought you were on my fucking side Elsa," Anna yelled.

"I am on nobody's side," Elsa said. "I am Switzerland in this family."

"Well it wouldn't hurt if you came to my side on this! It wouldn't hurt if you were on my fucking side instead of siding with dad."

"Is dad the bad guy then?" Elsa clicked her tongue.

"Yeah!" Anna said. "Well in this mess, he is. Normally he's on my side."

Elsa rolled her eyes. Yes, dad was always on Anna's side. Whatever the argument, whatever the situation, their father would always side with Anna. Elsa felt another pang of jealously at her sister. She tried to shake it off. It didn't really work. Elsa's jealously towards her sister had been accumulating over the years and no matter what Elsa did, she couldn't shake it. The only thing that kept Elsa going was that Anna had a good life going for herself, so if Elsa had to be jealous, so be it. Elsa had also noticed something else. They were getting nowhere. They were just going to go around in circles until Anna yelled herself horse at Elsa. They had been there before and on numerous occasions too. Elsa couldn't win this fight. It was a pointless battle. The only way to resolve this was the same way that Elsa always fixed these situations.

"Anna," Elsa opened her door, "please, just leave. I have stuff I need to do."

"Fine!" Anna snapped at her. Anna looked steaming mad. Anna slammed the door behind her which left Elsa to collapse onto a heap on the ground. She buried her face into her knees and some tears rolled down her face.

Her back was still throbbing.

 **A/N: Grr, FanFiction was being a pain so I couldn't get it uploaded earlier but I ended up writing a lot more into this chapter. So you guys get more in this chapter! Poor Elsa! She is really being put through the wringer - small Goodnight Mister Tom reference in this (if anyone hasn't seen that movie or read the book, I would highly recommend it, it's amazing), William had to go what Elsa goes through in this chapter - plus a reference to something even worst that Elsa has gone through (what it is?). But, in other parts of the story, Hans has been introduced, what tricks do he have? That's if he has any. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Miki Fubuki: Yeah, probably is going to end up like that.**

 **Sremu: Thanks!**

 **pipergrace938: Thanks a lot! Glad you have been enjoying the story!**

 **Calmdownmari: That is so sad that your friend had to go through that. I hope your friend is better now. I can't imagine what kind of things he/she had to go through. I think the story is just going to get more tearful, maybe.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! Yeah it looked like things didn't go so well for Elsa with talking to her dad as proven by this chapter.**

 **Guest (MixyBell): Hmm, really? Never would have imagined this to be a common Wattpad story. Glad you enjoy it though! Thanks, I do my best with my writing. Off to write the next chapter of Thirst now - don't want to leave you hanging!**

 **Frostbite Productions: Thanks! Ah okay, then!**

 **Guest: Yeah, I completely agree with you. Thanks for liking the story!**

 **Zero-XXX: Oh yeah, absolutely adoring your story. I get so excited when the next chapter is put up. Thankfully, neither have I experienced anything like that. Thanks for the compliment (you execute your stories so well as well, I'm constantly enthralled with the chapter) means a lot coming from an amazing writer such as yourself. Quick question; Jack didn't give Elsa that poison necklace right? Just wanted to double check. But speaking of Jack, sheesh, Sera is a bit of a crazy nutjob. Fingers crossed that he will be fine.**

 **Lemniscato: Yeah, not a one-shot (Jack hasn't even made it onto the scene yet, I think we need him to make this a Jelsa fanfic after all) but I can see why you would think that - it was written very similarly to one. Thanks! Yeah, Elsa tries her best but it's not enough.**

 **Gracialoveme: Shined or shone, both work in my head, at least I hope they do. Thanks a lot for the awesome words Irene! I think he did strangle her - nearly killed her too (doesn't take a long time for that to happen). Hoping school is going well for you (I'm enjoying my break by the way hehehe). Sounds like Sport's Day was a pin (everyone has to go through that). Looking forward, as always, to our next conversation on Skype (omg, Fancy just came on and I thought of you and your awesome rap skills hehehe). I think you rubbed off me. Sheesh, this chapter is so long, longest one I have ever written. (well nothing compared to what you have written - I don't know if I will ever get over the 15K chapter that you wrote).**

 **Terra Croft: I think people make a big deal about this because it is a big deal. Parents should not hurt their kids at all. It's violent and horrible. Children having to go to the ER to fix a broken bone or having to deal with being someone's punching bag is not nice. I hate to break it to you, but you're parents shouldn't have done that to you and that you are a victim of a crime. Child abuse (and all other forms of abuse) is a crime for a reason.**


	4. A Study Session

**Chapter 4: A Study Session**

Elsa was sitting alone at lunch the next day. She was prodding her mac and cheese with her fork, sighing softly. Her back was still hurting from the previous night. Thankfully she had raced so fast out of the house that morning that she didn't see her father at all.

"Hey Elsa," Elsa looked up and saw Kristoff, Merida, Rapunzel and Flynn hovering by her.

"Hey guys," Elsa smiled at them.

They all sat down around her. Elsa faked enthusiasm at seeing them. At the moment, she didn't want to be around anyone. She just wanted to be by herself – it was always because of times like the previous night.

"So Elsa," Kristoff said, "we on for tonight?"

"Yeah," Elsa nodded. She decided to focus on the tutoring lesson she was going to have with Kristoff later. "Dad says it's okay."

"Great!" Kristoff said. "I just wish there was some way to pay you back for your kindness."

"Just don't fail," Elsa laughed.

Later that day, instead of heading to the bus, Kristoff followed Elsa to the line of cars that were parked outside the school. Elsa led Kristoff to a black Rolls-Royce. The driver was reading a newspaper as he waited. Elsa opened the door and let Kristoff enter first. He looked amazed at the luxury.

"So this must be Kristoff?" the driver asked. "Mr Winters did say we were expecting one more today."

"Yeah," Elsa nodded. She was glad that her father remembered that Kristoff was coming over. It wouldn't be awkward later when he found Kristoff at their house.

The driver started the car and started to drive the car in the direction of Elsa's house. Elsa was a little fidgety. The only people who had ever been at her house were Rapunzel and Merida who just happened to be the only people that her father allowed to come over. Elsa kept glancing at Kristoff. He seemed to be enjoying himself. He was humming something as he stared out the window. Well at least he was happy about something. The driver pulled into Elsa's driveway about fifteen minutes later. Kristoff looked in awe at Elsa's house. It was common knowledge that Elsa's family was rich but based off the look Kristoff was giving the house, he didn't realise just how rich.

Elsa gestured for Kristoff to follow her inside the house. Kristoff followed her into the house. Elsa told him to hang his coat on the hook by the door. Kristoff did so and so did Elsa. Elsa took off her scarf and hung it over her own coat. Elsa put her bag down by the front door. Kristoff placed his bag next to Elsa's. Elsa and Kristoff both got their books, pens and paper out of their bags and then set them up on the kitchen table. Elsa knew that if she had Kristoff in her room, her father would probably punish her into the next century. So that was the reason why she was going to have her study session with Kristoff in the kitchen.

"Do you want something to eat?" Elsa asked and gave him a small, half shrug.

"If you're offering something," Kristoff smiled, "I won't say no."

Elsa opened the fridge and pulled out some leftover pizza. They had pizza a couple of nights ago and it just never gotten eaten. There was enough for two people. Elsa separated the food onto two plates. Elsa heated them both in the microwave before setting a plate in front of the pair of them. There was a silence as they ate their food.

"Good pizza," Kristoff said as he finished off his food.

"It is," Elsa hadn't even gotten through her first piece. Kristoff was a fast eater. "So where are you struggling?"

The next hour and a half, Elsa got through quite a bit of the course. They went through organic chemistry, oxidation-reduction, thermochemistry, acids and bases, titrations and a bunch of other things. In their textbook were many examples and questions that the pair of them studied together. By the end, Kristoff was raving about how she should teach the class and not their useless teacher.

"I don't think I'm that good," Elsa laughed.

"I've learnt more in the last hour than I have all year," Kristoff said. "You should be like a teacher or something."

"I have something else in mind," Elsa said, "rather than teaching."

Elsa's phone then buzzed. It was a text from her father. Elsa quickly looked at the text.

 _Forgot the Hummel file, it is sitting on my desk. Bring it to me at my office. I need it for a meeting later._

Elsa looked at Kristoff. Could she leave him here alone while she went to her father's office? Well it wasn't like she had a lot of choice. If she didn't, her father would yell at her for disobeying him.

"Sorry," Elsa said, "dad needs me to go drop off an important file. You don't mind waiting here for me until I get back?"

"Not at all," Kristoff said.

"Thanks," Elsa said. "I won't be too long."

"Take your time; I will just be sitting here doing all kinds of weird problems."

Elsa gave him a small laugh before she raced off to her father's office. Sitting on a pile of folders sat the Hummel file. She knew what was inside. Her father was agreeing to by Ludvig Hummel's chain of sporting goods stores that were quite popular in America. The meeting tonight was to discuss terms of how the takeover was going to go down. Elsa knew her father wasn't exactly the fairest man when it came to takeovers. Ludvig Hummel was probably going to learn that the hard way.

Elsa shoved the file, very carefully as so not to crease it in any way, into her backpack before grabbing her keys and other things such as her phone and wallet. Elsa then headed out the door. Elsa headed down to her car and opened the door. She threw her backpack into the front passenger seat before she sat down in the driver's seat. Even though she was driven to school, she had her own license and was able to drive. Her father thought that she would be like other kids who would skip school and meet up with boys at malls. He wanted someone to keep an eye on her.

Elsa drove out of the driveway and onto the road. Her family's company's headquarters weren't too far away. It was in the middle of Arendelle and was only a short drive away. Elsa quickly drove her car – although not too fast. She didn't want her father to punish her about a speeding ticket now. She paused at the lights. Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel. She had forgotten about the pain that was emulating from the scars on her back. She figured that focusing on all that Chemistry study was good for her.

The lights turned green and her foot pressed down on the accelerator. She drove down the main highway of Arendelle before taking a right hand turn about half way down. This led into the business district of Arendelle. It was called that as there were streets of tall buildings that were used for business purposes. Winters' Corporation was the biggest building around. It stretched towards the sky and had a massive sign on the top which had the company's name in huge letters that shone in the night time.

Elsa drove her car up to a gate where in order to get in, you needed an employee's ID card. Elsa's hand reached for the glove box and pulled out one with her face printed on it. As a member of the Winters' family, her father had one specially made for her for times like this. Elsa swiped her car and punched in a code that was also required. Her father liked his security. When the gate started to open, Elsa threw the card back into her glove box and shut it before driving into the building.

It took a few trips around the carpark until Elsa finally managed to find a carpark. Elsa parked her car, grabbed the folder out of her bag and headed to the building. The walk was quite long and Elsa was starting to feel a little tired from the long walk. When she walked through the automatic doors, the receptionist smiled at her and Elsa smiled back. Elsa walked over to the elevators and pressed the up button. She got into the elevator with a bunch of men all dressed in suits. Elsa pressed the button that said 'CEO'. Elsa's phone buzzed again.

 _Where are you!_

Elsa sighed as she read the text from her father. Elsa quickly sent a message back to her father.

 _In the elevator, almost there._

Almost at once, her phone pinged.

 _You better be. I'll see you soon._

Elsa shuddered as she put the phone back into her pocket. The various men stepped out at different floors. Soon she was the only one left in the elevator. The doors opened on the floor that contained her father's office. She found her father's secretary, Eline, tapping away at her computer. She smiled at Elsa when she approached.

"Go right in Miss Winters," she said. "You're expected."

Elsa nodded and knocked on the door to her father's office. Her father yelled for her to come in and Elsa did so. Her father had a wide, oval shaped office with a huge glass window that gave a magnificent site of Arendelle which also shone lots of rays of sunlight into the office. Her father sat behind a huge desk that had neatly stacked papers and a laptop sitting on it. Her father sat in a huge, black leather chair that could swivel around and was very comfy. Behind her father, were shelves that stood her father's many achievements. The wall next to him had a massive TV screen that he used for international conferences.

"You got it?" that was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Elsa nodded and handed over the file.

"Good," her father looked over the file and seemed to be satisfied with it. "What about your friend, is everything going okay for him?"

"Yes," Elsa squeaked. "He understands everything now."

"Good," her father stroked his moustache. "Remember this is a onetime thing."

"I understand."

"Good," her father repeated. "We don't want a repeat of last night do we?"

Elsa shuddered again. Her back at that very moment decided to twinge with pain. No, she didn't but that never stopped her father.

"No sir."

"Glad you understand. Now get out of my sight."

Elsa rushed as fast as she could out of that office. She didn't breathe again until she was in the elevator going down.

* * *

Kristoff heard the door shut as Elsa left the house. It felt weird to be in the huge house by himself. He looked around the kitchen. He knew that Elsa came from money but he didn't realise just how much money they were talking. They were probably talking millions of dollars, probably billions. Well the Winters were the richest family in Arendelle and one of the richest in the world. The walls were covered with amazing artwork and priceless antiques were like everywhere.

Kristoff decided it would be best if he didn't touch anything and just resumed his studies. Kristoff turned the page of his textbook until he found a list of questions for him to do. Kristoff saw that the first question was pretty simple. He put his pen to paper and started to do some calculations. He was glad that Elsa was able to help him out today. If she didn't, he would definitely fail that test on Friday. He may not get an A but a C or even a B was looking quite likely.

Kristoff managed to finish off the questions just as the door opened. Kristoff looked at his watch. If that was Elsa, she was very quick. However the person who entered the kitchen didn't look like Elsa. She was tall and thin like Elsa but she had strawberry-blonde hair that was woven into two long braids that hung over her shoulder. She had the same blue eyes as Elsa and even the same scattering of freckles. She wore a red jumper over some black jeans. She didn't have any shoes on, only socks. Kristoff didn't know who she was but judging by how similar she looked to Elsa, he figured that they must be related.

"Hello," the girl said. "Who are you?"

"Er," Kristoff was getting all tongue tied. The girl was exceptionally beautiful and was making his head quite dizzy. He tried hard to remember his own name. "The name's Kristoff, I'm one of Elsa's friends."

"Oh," the girl looked like she had just realised something. "Yes, dad did say that Elsa was having a friend over to do some study."

"Yeah," Kristoff held up his textbook.

"I'm Anna, by the way," the girl said. "I'm Elsa's younger sister."

Sister? Kristoff wasn't aware that Elsa even had a sister. Then again Elsa didn't talk about her private life at all. Elsa was a private person who valued her privacy. But still, Kristoff wondered why Elsa had never mentioned that she had a sister. Maybe Elsa just didn't like to talk about herself. After all, Kristoff didn't know a lot about much of Elsa's life apart from that she was from the Winters' family – a rich and powerful family – and that she grew up in Arendelle. Even Merida and Rapunzel – two people who grew up with Elsa, attended the same schools, did things together amongst other things – didn't know too much about Elsa. Although they probably were aware that Elsa had a sister. Kristoff had only become friends with Elsa in the last couple of years which could explain his lack of knowledge about her and her family.

"Oh yes," Kristoff said. "I can see the resemblance."

"Judging by that answer, I say she hadn't said anything about me."

"Well she doesn't say a lot about anything," Kristoff shrugged. "But may I ask why you're not at school with Elsa if she's your sister?"

"Oh dad shipped me off to boarding school in Switzerland," Anna said. "Thought it would help me grow or some nonsense like that."

"I take it you don't like it there."

"It's fine; I just miss my family, y'know?"

"I get it; it can be tough being away from family."

"Thanks," Anna smiled.

"So why did he ship you off and not Elsa?"

"Probably because Elsa was already settled in at school here in Arendelle," Anna shrugged.

"Makes sense," Kristoff said.

"I suppose," Anna said.

"You okay?" Kristoff asked. Even though he had just met this girl about five minutes ago, he could feel that she was holding back on something.

"Yeah," Anna shrugged. "Sorry, I must have spaced out or something. So where's Elsa then?"

"She had to go drop something off for your dad," Kristoff explained.

"Oh okay," Anna said.

"Guess you're stuck with me into she comes back," Kristoff laughed.

Anna laughed. "I can think of worse people to hang out with."

Anna nudged him with her shoulder and Kristoff suddenly felt butterflies swarming around in his stomach.

* * *

Elsa opened the door to her house. She felt a little relieved that she had managed to not have put her father in a bad mood. Elsa headed into the house and found people chatting in the kitchen. She found that Anna had come home from spending the day with friends and was now chatting with Kristoff. Kristoff had a bit of a grin on his face as he talked to her. He didn't even seem to be aware that Elsa had come home.

Elsa leaned against a pillar and stared at the scene. She could see the pair of them just laughing with each other. Elsa almost started to think that there might be something between them. There was something about the way that Kristoff was smiling at Anna. Could Kristoff be developing a crush on her younger sister? Elsa couldn't help but smile. Kristoff would be a much better boyfriend for Anna than who she was interested in at the moment; Hans Westergaard.

Elsa decided that it may be best if she announced her presence. Elsa cleared her throat quite loudly. Anna and Kristoff looked up and smiled at her.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Elsa said.

"No," Anna said. "Christopher and I were just getting to know each other."

"It's, er, Kristoff," Kristoff said which made Anna blush with embarrassment.

"Should we keep going?" Elsa said.

"Sure!"

Elsa and Kristoff continued to work hard. Anna had found them boring and so had decided to go do something else. Elsa could hear her music playing in the background a few minutes later. Elsa tried to ignore what Anna was up to and to concentrate on helping Kristoff. Elsa pulled everything towards her and flicked her textbook to a random page.

"I think this question," Elsa said pointing to a question. Kristoff didn't answer. Instead he was staring off into space. Elsa clicked her fingers in front of him. "Kristoff!"

"What!" Kristoff jumped to.

Elsa grinned. "I think someone likes someone."

"What?" Kristoff suddenly looked embarrassed. "No!"

Elsa laughed. "Come on! We still have to get to learning some diagrams."

Kristoff laughed too.

A while later Elsa realised what the time was. She told Kristoff that she would be back in a few minutes. Her father would be home soon. She didn't want him to come home and see that she had abandoned her duties – as he called it. She made sure that his dinner – leftovers from the previous night; a roast duck – was ready for him as well as the longue for when he wanted to kick his feet up. Elsa had sat back down and it was only a minute later when she heard the front door open again and the sound of shuffling feet. She knew that her dad had now entered the house.

He came into the kitchen and looked down at the pair of them. He seemed to be sizing up the situation. Elsa wondered what was going through his head. She hoped nothing terrible. He then stomped off and picked up his dinner without another word. He placed the dinner in the microwave for two minutes. His constant staring during that time made Elsa feel really uncomfortable but she didn't let it show.

Conceal, she thought to herself, don't let it show.

"How's studying going?" her father asked.

"Really good Mr Winters," Kristoff answered in a jolly like manner.

"Excellent," Elsa's father said. "Glad to see that you two haven't been procrastinating."

"No dad," Elsa said. "We're nearly finished."

"Good," her father replied. He then stomped out of the room carrying his dinner.

"I think I better get home," Kristoff said as he looked over his notes. "Mum will be freaking out by now."

"You need a lift home?" Elsa asked.

"Nah," Kristoff said.

Elsa walked with him to the door. She watched as Kristoff packed up his stuff.

"Thanks for all the help," Kristoff said. "I think I got the hang of it now."

"You're more than welcome," Elsa smiled.

"Thanks again!" Kristoff said as he swung his backpack over his shoulder.

Kristoff waved at Elsa as he left. Elsa closed the door when he had made it to the gate. Elsa waited by the door before she heard her father shout. She knew this was coming. He was about to grill her about what happened. Elsa walked into the living room and found her father drinking beer and eating his dinner. The TV was on – Elsa saw it was flicked to the evening news – and it was flickering in the background.

"Yes father?" she said.

"I want to know what happened," he said to her. "Don't you dare leave anything out."

Elsa took a deep breath and slowly explained what she and Kristoff had gotten up to. Her father just grunted every now and then during her recall.

"Alright," he huffed. "Now go and have dinner, don't forget to tell your sister that dinner is ready. You forgot a couple of nights ago."

"Yes sir!" Elsa hurried out of the room. She was surprised to find that her father didn't push the story or claim that it was false. She, of course, left out the part when Kristoff was falling for her sister. Instead she just said that Kristoff and Anna had a little talk about themselves. Her father didn't push it. Maybe Elsa's luck was starting to change.

Elsa hurried to her sister's bedroom and knocked on the door. She then entered to find her sister lying on her bed with her phone out. It looked like she was texting. Music, very loud music could be heard over the stereo.

"Yes?" Anna said when Elsa walked in.

"Dad wants me to tell you dinner is up," Elsa said but Anna just giggled at whatever was on her phone. "Anna?" Elsa said but again Anna ignored her. She was too busy giggling at whatever was on her phone. "Who are you texting?" Elsa peered over Anna's shoulder to get a good look at whomever she was texting.

"Elsa!" Anna shirked when she saw what her big sister was doing.

Anna whipped her phone away from Elsa's prying eyes but it was too late. She had already seen who Anna was texting; Hans Westergaard. Elsa's heart sank. She had hoped that Anna had ceased all communication with the boy but apparently not. Anna was a love sick teenager. Telling her not to do something simply made her want to do the thing even more. Elsa realised that she shouldn't be surprised to see her texting him.

"How dare you look at my text messages!" Anna screamed at her.

"Hans, Anna!" Elsa said to her, careful not to make her voice go any higher. "Really?"

"It's none of your business who I'm texting!" Anna shouted.

"It is when dad has said not have any further contact with him," Elsa said, doing her best not to let any emotions show.

"I can do whatever I like," Anna said. "I don't need dad's permission to text someone."

"I think when he expressly said you shouldn't have anything to do with him, yes."

"What's the matter Elsa?" Anna asked. "It's almost like you're afraid of what dad will say if he finds out."

"Er," Elsa didn't know what to say. Anna was wrong though. She wasn't afraid of what her father will say but rather what he would _do_. She had the strongest feeling that her father would blame her for Anna's behaviour, saying stuff like how it was her fault that Anna was running off with a man he did not approve or like that she should have stopped Anna before it was too late. "Not afraid, per say, just worried that he will be disappointed."

"Oh phish posh," Anna waved her hand as if it was no worry. "Dad doesn't need to know, now does he?"

"Er," Elsa felt a very bad feeling coursing through her veins. "This may not be a very good idea, Anna. What if dad asks about it?"

"Then _lie_."

"Lie?" The very idea shocked her. Lying to her father has never produced any good results, in fact the complete opposite. The times that she had, the belt had been used. She had the scars to prove it.

"Yeah Elsa," Anna said. "Can't you be a cool sister for once and not nark on me? I really like Hans. I think it could go anywhere."

"Anna, please. Just think what you're doing. Hans isn't someone who you should be hanging around with. He's a bad influence."

"Oh nonsense," Anna brushed away Elsa's concerns in one swish movement. "You're just seeing stuff from dad's point of view. Honestly Elsa, if you get out for once in your life, you would see that he's actually a nice guy."

Elsa doubted that very much. Anna didn't come to Arendelle too often so she didn't quite get the full story. Hans was a player and often was found drinking and seducing many women in clubs or bars. Elsa just hoped that Anna wasn't the latest on a long line of women. Well, Anna could be right. That could all be the media blowing stories out of proportion or maybe Hans had in fact turned over a new leaf.

Something told her that hadn't happened.

"So please, just don't tell dad about this?" Anna begged. She had her hands clenched out in front of her and had her puppy dog eyes out.

"Oh fine," Elsa said giving in. "I won't say anything but if Dad asks, I will tell him the truth, okay?"

"Thanks Elsa!" Anna said.

Anna gave Elsa a quick hug before getting her phone out again. Her thumbs darted across the screen as she texted Hans again. Elsa felt worried again. Elsa turned around on her heels and left Anna's room. She had half a mind to go tell her father everything before it got too late. She knew what was going to happen. If she didn't do anything then Anna will continue to flaunt herself in front of Hans. Hopefully nothing bad will happen in the meantime. Anna could come to her senses before anything like that happened. Well one could hope.

Elsa sat down in the kitchen after making herself a cup of tea. She took a sip. It tasted really nice. At that moment Anna came into the kitchen, her eyes glued to her phone. She raided the pantry before racing off back to her bedroom with a biscuit in her mouth and others in her hand. Elsa heard her giggle before she raced off.

What had she encouraged?

* * *

Kristoff got home after catching a couple of different busses from Elsa's home to his home. Before he had left school that day, he had worked out a route to get home. He had arrived just in time for dinner. The moment he had entered his grandfather's house, he heard his mouth calling that dinner was on the table.

Kristoff entered the kitchen and found it heaving with food again. His mum was an excellent cook and so Kristoff could always look forwards to a good meal. Kristoff tucked into his steak. The first mouthful was enough to send his taste buds on a holiday.

"So Kristoff," his father said. "Learn anything?"

"Oh yeah tons," Kristoff said. "Elsa really knows her stuff."

"I hope that your mind was on studying and not on other things," his father said, giving him a stare.

Kristoff almost chocked on her food. "Elsa's a nice girl but no, I don't like her like that."

"Stop torturing the boy," Kristoff's mother said but she sounded quite amused.

Kristoff scowled but returned to his meal. When he finally made it to bed, his mind was buzzing about the youngest Winters' daughter. Anna seemed like one heck of a girl that Kristoff was more than keen to get to know even better.

 **A/N: So a little Kristanna in this chapter (I love them so much) but it looks like Hans is still on Anna's mind though despite Elsa's warnings. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks so much! Yeah I feel bad for Elsa too but I have a feeling the worst is yet to come.**

 **Gracialoveme: Thanks very much! I'm blaming you for the long chapter, although I do want to write longer chapters. Hans will appear in the next chapter but he's not going to be a main character in this story (at the moment, that is what I have decided but who knows what I will decide). Yeah the whole belt thing was serious. I know you like to rap as you have rapped on Skype. I found it quite amusing. Glad school is going well for you. On Beg for It by Iggy, you make me laugh Irene, I love it.**

 **Frostbite Productions: Thanks! Okay, sounds good.**

 **QueenMaylina8Candy: Thanks so much for the awesome words! Updating soon as asked.**

 **Miki Fubuki: Yes the bratty, irrational side of Anna came out. Well she is a lovesick teenager who can't handle it when no is the answer. Thanks for the idea! I wasn't going to have Anna sneak out but that so fits in with the story. Well, you may just have to wait for Anna to find out, I have a special idea on how she finds out the truth.**

 **ziabee99: Thanks so much! I hope you have been enjoying Thirst as much as you have been enjoying this story. Well her dad is a different character from her dad in Frozen as different circumstances have arisen compared to Frozen. I never read Goodnight Mister Tom (I know I should) but the movie is great which I have seen multiple times. Yeah it is sad that he threw up on his birthday (a little too much cake, I think) but, God, I hate his mother. Oh on the 'worse things' simply means that Elsa has been hit with worse things than a belt (I'll leave it up to your imagination to figure out what those things are before the big reveal). Well, I know it's sad stuff what I'm writing but I think nothing goes through my mind as I know it's fictional and my creation but when I picture stuff like the belt hitting, I do wince a little. Updating soon as requested!**

 **ZERO-xxx: You're welcome. Thanks so much for answering my questions, glad that Jack didn't give the poison necklace (I didn't think he would, just wanted to double check he didn't) and hopefully he won't suffer too much more. It's fine for you to hijack my review section but I will be sure to PM you or leave a review if I have anymore questions, thanks so much. Well Anna is a brat as she is an emotional, lovesick teenager who has been told that she can't hang out with someone she really wants to hang out with. Elsa doesn't say anything as she wants to protect Anna (Anna has this view of their father and Elsa doesn't want to damage it). Yep, the dad is just a prick. Thanks so much! Jack will come later, I had planned for him to come earlier than this but then my mind went crazy with ideas, so we may have to wait a couple more chapters, hopefully it will be worth the wait.**

 **Jemepo: Jack is in Burgess, currently we are in Arendelle. We have to get to Burgess before Jack comes onto the scene. Jack is going to be introduced later. I had planned for him to appear about this chapter but I have things I want to do before that.**


	5. Disobeying Orders

**Chapter 5: Disobeying Orders**

Elsa was sitting at her table during the lunch hour on a Friday. She had her fork up to her mouth but she wasn't concentrating on it. The piece of lasagne on her fork was getting cold but she didn't care. She was too busy focusing on her Chemistry notes that were all neatly put together in a green folder. Elsa's eyes darted from left to right as she read her notes that were written in a very small, compact and cursive handwriting.

Elsa felt someone's hand shaking her shoulder. Elsa's fork dropped onto her plate and sauce splattered onto her notes. Elsa's felt something died inside of her as she stared at her perfect notes which had now been destroyed – in her eyes anyway.

"Watch it," she snarled.

"Sorry," Kristoff said looking guilty as he sat down opposite Elsa.

"Don't mind her Kristoff," Rapunzel laughed. "Elsa just doesn't like her pretty, minute notes being touched by anything but her own fingers."

"I knew I shouldn't have studied while I ate," Elsa muttered.

"So," Merida said taking the empty seat next to Elsa, "Rapunzel, I hear your date is tonight."

"It is," giggled Rapunzel. "Boy am I excited!"

"Really?" Elsa said extremely sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

Rapunzel scowled at Elsa. She looked a little put out.

"Oh she's just crabby because she thinks her notes are ruined," Merida said.

It was Elsa's turn to scowl. She turned back to her notes. She had tried dabbing the sauce off with a napkin. It had worked to an extent. Most of the sauce had come off but there were still some stains.

"Flynn's notes are all stained Elsa," Rapunzel said as she sipped her orange juice. "He turned out alright."

"Flynn is a D average student who eats sloppily over anything," Elsa commented. "Forgive me if I don't see the comparison."

"Flynn is not a D average student," Rapunzel scowled again.

"Alright, fine," Elsa rolled her eyes. "D _plus_ average student then."

Rapunzel just stared at Elsa with daggers shooting out of her eyes. She did not look impressed but Elsa didn't care. She was too busy trying to remember formulas. Elsa continued to mutter to herself as she read over her notes. It was a thing she did. She had always done it.

"Elsa, would you relax for one moment?" Merida said. "You're going to be fine. You're always fine."

Elsa didn't even answer this. She just ignored Merida and she continued to mutter as she read over her notes. Merida may think she was fine but that was because Elsa didn't leave it up to chance. The amount of pressure on her to get decent marks was probably the same amount if you went really deep into the ocean. Her father wanted her to get good grades so that an idiot – that was her father's word for it – wouldn't be running the company that his family had worked so hard to build up. So Elsa studied and studied. She knew what would happen if she got anything less than an A.

"Do you think the test will be hard?" Kristoff asked as he shoved a big piece of meatloaf into his mouth.

"I would have no idea," Elsa turned the page of her notes. "I didn't write the test."

"Yeah but you always seem to know what is going to be on the test," Kristoff said.

"That's because I study," Elsa didn't even look up from her notes.

The bell went to signal the next class. Elsa gathered up all things, stuffed some food into her mouth and headed off to her next class. Her final class of the day was her test. Elsa walked to class with her nose buried in her notes for some last minute studying. She found Kristoff already waiting. He was looking a little nervous. The minute Kristoff saw Elsa he started to rattle off a bunch of last minute questions he had for Elsa. Elsa grinned but happily answered all the questions he had.

The rest of the class soon showed up and it wasn't long before their Chemistry teacher, Miss Jacobs – a teacher who came from England to Arendelle so that she could teach overseas –, appeared at the door of the classroom. Miss Jacobs told them all to come into the classroom and sit down. Elsa took a seat at her usual seat at the back of the class with Kristoff sitting to her right. In front of her was her test. Elsa could feel the nerves starting to get at her. Elsa forced herself to calm down and to think of her notes.

"Okay, no talking," Miss Jacobs said as she stood at the front of the class. "You all have the entire period." She checked her watch. "You may start now."

Elsa turned over her paper and stared at the first question. She felt a grin come over her face. She put her pen to paper and started to write. Elsa wrote down her answer and then stood back to admire it. It had all the points necessary to get full marks for that question but then again, that question was only worth one mark. This test was just getting started. Elsa's mind wandered onto the next question. Elsa worked through the questions in the quiz with her eyes continuing to dart up to the clock or onto Miss Jacobs or to see what Kristoff was doing. Her mind was distracted. She needed to concentrate on her test.

Elsa forced herself to reread the question she was up to; question four out five. She enforced her brain to think of the answer. It somehow managed to get formed in her mind. Elsa wrote down what she thought was the answer. Elsa turned over to the final question. She then looked up at the clock. She only had fifteen minutes left. Where did her time go? The last time she looked at the clock, she had twenty five minutes. Elsa quickly looked down at the question. She read it through several times before she figured out the answer. She looked up at the clock. Ten minutes to go. Seriously, where did the time go? Elsa quickly wrote down her answer. Elsa was breathing hard; her heart was racing as she tried to make sure she got down everything that she needed to get down. Elsa's pen dropped from her hand as she finished the answer. She looked up at the clock. Six minutes left to go. Elsa let out a sigh of relief. But she wasn't done yet.

She quickly flicked to the start of the test and she looked through all of her answers. They all looked pretty good to her. She had noticed a few errors here and there but they took mere seconds to correct. Elsa saw Miss Jacobs look at her watch before looking up at the class.

"Pens down," she said.

* * *

Anna was lying on her bed with her legs draped over her pillow. She was on her cell phone talking to Hans. She was giggling and had a huge smile over her face.

 _"_ _So we still on for tonight?"_ Hans' voice said.

"Of course," Anna said resisting the urge to giggle like a school girl again. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

 _"_ _Glad to hear that,"_ replied Hans.

"Slight problem I'm afraid," Anna said. "Elsa is not going to join after all."

 _"_ _Why not?"_

"Well father has forbidden us having our little date and that was enough to scare Elsa into not going."

 _"_ _I hope it doesn't scare you off."_

"It takes a lot more than that to scare me off," Anna let out a small laugh.

 _"_ _Glad to hear that,"_ Hans repeated. _"Although it was probably for the best. Mikael is sick and wouldn't have been able to make it anyway"_

"So it worked out for the best then, didn't it?"

 _"_ _Indeed it is,"_ Hans laughed. Anna felt some butterflies in her stomach when he laughed.

"Anna!" Anna heard her father yelled out through the house.

"Hold on," Anna said into her cell phone. "Yeah dad?" she yelled back, covering phone with her palm.

Her dad stomped into the room.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked when he noticed that she was on the phone.

"Zoë," Anna said the first name that came into her head.

"Oh okay," her dad paused as if he was trying to remember why he came into Anna's room.

"Er, dad," Anna said. "I'm kind of on the phone so unless it's super important, could I get back to my conversation please?"

"Oh right," he looked a little awkward for interrupting her. "I just wanted to know what you want for dinner tonight."

"Oh I'm out for dinner," Anna said.

"Did Zoë invite you out?" her dad asked.

"Yes!" Anna lied.

"Great," he said. "Just be back by ten, okay?"

"Sure thing dad," Anna smiled. Her father smiled before he left the room. "Okay, I'm back," Anna said into her phone the minute her father had shut the door behind him.

 _"_ _No problem,"_ Hans said. _"Let me guess, the father came in asking questions?"_

"Yeah, the father did," Anna rolled her eyes. "So if anyone asks, you're a fifteen year old brunette with blonde highlights."

Hans laughed. _"Got it."_

"So where are we going tonight?" Anna asked in a flirtatious like manner.

 _"_ _It's a surprise,"_ Hans said.

"Aw!" Anna said. "Come on, please?" Anna stretched out the last word.

 _"_ _No!"_ Hans said, almost flirting back.

"Aw!" Anna said feeling a little disappointed.

* * *

Elsa walked out of the test feeling just as nervous as she went into the test. This was normal for her. She would probably get a decent mark but just feeling a little confident about it but that felt like it was going to jinx her results. Elsa had packed up her things just before time had run out. When Miss Jacobs had told them it was time, she had swung her bag over her shoulder, walked up to her teacher and handed in her test paper.

Now Elsa was walking out of her school's science building. Kristoff soon caught up with her. He was panting a little hard as he had run out of the classroom to catch up with her.

"Elsa!" he had called out. Elsa had turned around and smiled at him as he ran towards her.

"Yeah?" she said stopping in her tracks.

"How did you think the test went?" he asked.

Elsa's heart sank. She hated discussing tests afterwards. It always made her feel nervous. She would prefer to just forget about the test and move on with her life.

"Okay, I think," Elsa shrugged.

"Now that has me worrying," Kristoff said. "If you think it went okay, then it was probably a lot worse than it actually was."

"Relax Kristoff," Elsa said. "We've got bigger problems to deal with."

"We do?"

"Yeah," Elsa said. "Well, I do anyway. I've got to listen to Rapunzel drone on and on tomorrow about her date tonight."

Kristoff laughed. "That is true."

"Well I better go," Elsa mentioned in the direction of the school's gates.

"Oh right!" Kristoff laughed again.

Elsa raced off in the direction of her driver. It didn't take too long for her to get home. She was surprised to see that her father was home. She wondered why he was home. Normally he would be in his office during the week days. Could he be home to check up on her? That would probably be correct. He was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. Elsa could see that he was reading the business section.

"How did the test go?" those were the first words to come out of his mouth when Elsa entered the kitchen.

"Good," Elsa said almost as a reflex.

"That's what I want to hear," he replied. "When do you get your test results back?"

"Probably when I get back to school next term," Elsa said.

"Okay," her father said. "Guess we'll see then."

Elsa headed up her room and sat down on her bed. She had thrown her bag down on some random part of the neat floor. She felt a little nervous. School had finished for the term. It was no longer going to be a distraction for her. What could she do in the meantime? She had no idea. She had gone through a series of hobbies which only said to her father that she was very indecisive.

Elsa lay down on her bed and just let the minutes tick by. Elsa could feel boredom coming over, so she picked up a book and started to read. After a while, Elsa looked at the clock and to her it felt like it had only been a few minutes but in reality, in had been a couple of hours. Elsa shut the book. Dinner would be starting to get prepared soon. Her father would be yelling at her soon if she didn't get up soon. Elsa swung her legs over to the edge of her bed and got to her feet. She left her room and headed down the corridor and she paused outside Anna's room.

She could hear music coming from within. Elsa knocked on the door and Anna yelled for her to come in. Elsa found Anna singing ABBA at the top of her lungs while trying to thread a set of hoop earrings into her pierced ears. Anna grinned at Elsa when she entered the room. Anna was all dressed up in a black dress with straps. She had a long, dangling necklace hanging from her neck and she had black heels on to match her dress. Elsa could see a blue blazer on Anna's bed as well.

"Are you seriously going to go through with this?" Elsa asked, feeling even more nervous than she had all day.

"Of course," Anna sang. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Um, maybe because dad will kill you if he found out?" Elsa suggested.

"Oh don't be such a worrywart," Anna said, brushing aside Elsa's concerns. "Everything will be fine Elsa."

"I don't know about that," Elsa said.

"Oh everything is fine," Anna repeated smoothly. "Dad thinks I'm going out with Zoë tonight. So see, the lie is told, everything is set. So, like I said, everything is fine."

Elsa wasn't so sure about that. Elsa didn't bother to say anything more on the subject. Anna was determined to do what she wanted to do. Elsa had two options here. The first one was to head out of Anna's room and go straight to her father and tell him the truth before he finds out the truth on his own and maybe, just maybe, her father wouldn't punish her for hiding this. The second option was that Elsa walk out of the room right now and leave Anna to do what she wanted to do and maybe, just maybe, her father wouldn't find out and maybe Elsa could get passed this unscathed.

Anna may think that everything may be fine but Elsa didn't think so. Elsa walked out of Anna's room but she didn't go in the direction of where her father was; in his study. Elsa's feet took her back to her room. There, Elsa just lay on her bed. Maybe if she ignored the problem it would go away – well like that ever worked. She had tried to ignore the signs about her father and look where that had gotten her.

"Okay, I'm off," Elsa heard Anna call throughout the house.

"Have fun," she heard her father's voice reply.

The sound of the front door opening and closing could be heard. Maybe Anna is right. Maybe everything will be fine. Or maybe everything will be a complete disaster – like always. Guess Elsa will have to wait and see.

* * *

Anna checked herself in the mirror by the front door before she headed out. Anna thought she was dressed to impress. Anna yelled goodbye to everyone before she walked out of the gates to her house and waited for Hans to come pick her up. Anna only had to wait a few moments for a jet black car pulled up next to her. The front passenger's window rolled down and Hans' grinning face could be seen from behind the wheel.

"Hello," he said as Anna opened the door and hopped into the car.

"Hello," Anna replied when she clicked her seatbelt into place. Hans started to drive the car down the street. "So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Hans said with a grin.

"That is not what I want to hear," Anna playfully punched him which made Hans laugh. "So is Mikael feeling any better?"

"A bit," Hans shrugged. "He's just got the cold that is going around. But what about your sister? You said something about her not wanting to break rules or something."

"Ah, that's my sister," Anna said. "She is a rule follower and not a rule breaker."

"Guess that's not genetic," Hans laughed again.

"Guess not," Anna let out a laugh too.

Silence fell between them. Anna didn't really know how to continue the conversation. Luckily Hans did. He started to ask her about her school and her friends that Hans had met the night that they had met. Anna felt relieved that the conversation was something she could talk about. She had this picture that Hans was the type of guy who would use long words and talk about boring stuff like the stock market or the weather. But Hans wasn't that kind of guy. He was actually kind of cool.

The mystery of where they were going for dinner was soon revealed half an hour later. Hans had driven them across town to this seafood restaurant and bar stood. Anna knew about this restaurant. According to online reviews, the lobster and the oysters were particularly excellent. As soon as Hans stepped out of the car, a man who had the same type of auburn hair as Hans did stepped forward. Hans gave the man a hug before turning around to face Anna.

"This is my brother Erik," Hans said.

"Hello," Anna said shaking his hands.

"Erik owns this establishment and was more than able to help get us a good table," Hans continued.

"Wow," flushed Anna. Hans really did have his connections. She was impressed.

"My pleasure really," Erik said with a smile. "So let me show you your table."

Anna and Hans followed Erik into the restaurant. Erik grabbed a couple of menus and led them over to a table that was near a window that looked out onto Arendelle. Anna felt quite comfortable. Hans pulled out Anna's chair for her.

"What a gentleman," Anna said when she sat down. Hans also helped Anna with her coat before giving her coat and his coat to Erik.

Hans smiled at her as he took a seat opposite her. Erik came back to take their order for drinks and placed the menus in front of them. Hans ordered a wine for himself and Anna asked for a coke. Erik smiled as he wrote down the drinks on a small notepad. Anna's eyes dropped to her menu. Anna's mouth started to drool as she saw what was on the menu.

"The lamb cutlets seem really good," Anna said.

"They do," Hans said finding the item on the menu, "but so does the peeking duck."

Erik came back with their drinks and then took their orders.

"So tell me about yourself," Hans said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well," Anna said before she rattled off about herself. She started talking about growing up in Arendelle, what she does at school and about her friends and family. Hans had leaned back in his chair, his hands were intertwined and he was looking at Anna with a very adoring look on his face. During this time, Erik had come back and taken their orders.

"Interesting," he said nodding.

"Sorry," Anna said. "I've been talking a lot about myself, haven't I?"

"No," Hans said, smiling widely. "I find it very interesting to learn things about you Miss Winters."

"Really?" Anna giggled.

"Yeah," Hans said as Erik came back with a waitress who was carrying their meals. Anna felt her stomach growl. Erik sat the food in front of them.

"Enjoy," Erik said.

"We shall, thanks," Hans said.

"So tell me about yourself," Anna asked as she tucked into lamb.

"Well," Hans said, "You know I grew up in The Southern Isles and that I have twelve brothers."

"Keep going," Anna giggled. She was keen to learn more about Hans. She wanted to know everything about him. He intrigued her very much so. When she looked at him, she got lost in his face; his eyes, his smile, everything. She enjoyed getting lost in his face.

Hans smiled again. "Okay."

* * *

Elsa was pacing up and down her room. She was worried about Anna. She had left an hour ago and Elsa's nerviness wasn't getting any better. Maybe she did need to relax more. After all what could happen? Elsa flopped onto her bed. Maybe she should relax more. Well, that wasn't to say she hadn't tried – she had tried to read Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, checked her emails, scrolled through Tumblr and played a game of Age of Empires. None of it all worked.

Elsa sat up on her bed. Well, maybe some food will take her mind off things. She did need dinner after all. Her father may have already eaten. He had told her earlier than he was going to have leftovers. Elsa left her room and headed into the kitchen. She found dirty dishes in the sink that could only have been left by her father. She sighed before placing them into the dishwasher. Elsa opened the fridge and took out a plate of food. She placed it into the microwave. After her food was heated, she sat down and had a fork with food up to her mouth when the doorbell rang. Elsa let out a groan.

Elsa got out from her seat and headed out to the door. When she opened it, she got a surprise that she did not want.

"Hey Elsa, right?" said a girl who Elsa was sure was called Zoë.

"Yeah, Zoë right?" Elsa said sounding a little uncertain.

"That's right," Zoë said brightly. "I was wondering if Anna was here. There's this great new movie I think she would want to see. It's a horror one and there's a late night screening. Decapitating murderers and popcorn, who could ask for more?"

"Er," Elsa was starting to panic. She had to get Zoë out of the house before her father realised who was at the door. "Anna isn't here," she said very quickly. She tried to shut the door in Zoë's face but Zoë caught the door.

"Hold on," she said. "Do you know where she is?"

"No," Elsa lied. She didn't know how much Zoë knew about the date that Anna had snuck off to. She supposed she could try and explain it to her but Elsa didn't know how long they had. Precious seconds were already draining away.

"Has she gone out?" Zoë asked.

"Well if she isn't here, then what do you think?" Elsa had no idea why she was being so rude. It was just slipping off her tongue. Maybe it was because she was angry at Anna for putting her into this position.

"Oh yeah," Zoë looked a little hurt.

Elsa cast a look behind her. Her father wasn't around. Thankfully he wasn't. He didn't bother to get up to get the door anymore as that was Elsa's job to do. Elsa lowered her voice.

"Look the truth is –"

"Who's at the door Elsa?" interrupted the voice of her father. I'm dead, Elsa thought as she heard her father come behind her.

"Oh I know you," her father said with a bright smile. "You're one of Anna's friends right?"

"Yes sir," Zoë said. "The name is Zoë."

"Zoë?" Elsa's father's face adopted a look of confusion. "I thought Anna was having dinner with you tonight."

"No…?" Zoë said. She then got look of realisation on her face. "Oh silly me, of course she isn't here. She's out with Hans tonight."

"Hans?" Elsa's father face darkened. Elsa's insides started to shrivel up. As expected, her father had found out the truth.

"Sorry for bothering you," Zoë said, clearly oblivious to Elsa's father's darkened expression and the clenching of his fists and Elsa's nervous demeanour. "I'll see you all later."

Elsa's father shut the door as he waved to Zoë as she skipped out of their driveway. As soon as the door was shut, Elsa's father turned to her. He looked mad. His face was red and his fists were even more tightly more clenched than they were before. Elsa gulped in her nerviness. She had seen her father this mad before and it never ended well for her.

"You knew, didn't you?" he fumed at her. Elsa opened her mouth to say something but her voice failed her. "Don't you dare say anything," her father roared at her. "I don't want to hear anything from you. They will all be lies." Elsa's mouth shut.

Elsa slowly started to back up as her father advanced on her. Elsa ran for it. She raced up the stairs but her father was quicker. He had allowed Elsa to get a head start but he had grabbed her as reached the top of the stairs. He grabbed her around her waist and threw her down the stairs. Elsa rolled down the stairs and landed in a heap on the floor. She felt pain coming from every bit of her body. Elsa let out several gasps of pain and she tried to get to her feet. She put her hand out to push her up but she felt a sharp searing pain from it as she tried this. Elsa once again collapsed again. Elsa cradled her arm. She must have landed on her arm as it was throbbing even more badly than any other part of her.

Her father was watching all of this from the top of the stairs. He came down each step, slowly and very precisely. When he reached Elsa, he pulled her up by the scruff of her collar and then pinned her against the wall.

"Has Anna gone out with Hans after I specifically told her not to?" Elsa's father snarled into her face.

"N-" spluttered Elsa but her father's grip tightened.

"Don't you dare lie to me Elsa," he said.

"Yes," Elsa said quickly.

"Where has she gone?" her father released her and Elsa hurried to try and catch her breath.

"I don't know," Elsa said.

"Are you lying to me again?" her father said.

"No," Elsa said quickly but her father grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Elsa felt even more pain. She let out a yell in pain.

"I am going to ask you again," her father said slowly. "Do you know where she has gone?"

"No, I swear," Elsa said through tears of pain.

Her father seemed to consider her answer for several minutes while Elsa attempted to fight through the pain.

"Okay," he said as he let go of her.

Elsa crumpled into a heap onto the floor, once again, cradling her arm while her father stood over her.

"Well I guess we'll have to have that arm looked at," he said as if it was of no matter of importance. "Get your coat."

Half an hour later, Elsa found herself sitting in her doctor's office at the local hospital. Her father had taken her to the ER where he had demanded to be seen by Doctor Lewis – an old friend of his who had been treating Elsa for years. It had been quite quiet when they had gotten to the ER, so that when Elsa's father had made his demand, there wasn't too much trouble. Doctor Lewis had come over minutes later in his white coat and a nice shirt and tie. He led them to his office where he had carefully examined Elsa's arm. When he touched it, Elsa flinched from the pain but Doctor Lewis' smile reassured her. He then informed them that he wanted some scans, so he took Elsa up to radiology.

Now, Elsa and her father were waiting in Doctor Lewis to come back with her scans. Elsa and her father hadn't spoken a single word to each other. Elsa just sat on the bed, holding her arm. Her father was waiting by the door. He was leaning against it with his arms folded. He seemed to have a bit of a scowl on his face which Elsa hoped would disappear before they got home.

The door then opened and Doctor Lewis came back with scans. He grinned at the pair of them.

"We got them quicker than usual today," he said as he sat down on his chair. "So you two are lucky."

"What does the scans say doc?" Elsa's father said.

"Well," he put the scans up and turned on the light so that they could see the scan. "As you can see there is no break in the bone."

"That's good," Elsa's father said.

"Yes," Doctor Lewis smiled as he turned took down the scans. "But I do think that bone is a little bruise, so to be safe, I'm going to ask you to wear a splint, okay?" he directed this question to Elsa who nodded.

Doctor Lewis smiled again as he pulled out a draw containing many things in plastic bags. He took one out to reveal a black coloured splint which he helped Elsa place on her hand. Her hand did feel a little better.

"There," he said. "All done."

"Thank you Doctor," she said.

"No problem," Doctor Lewis opened the door of his office and stood behind it. Elsa walked out but Doctor Lewis held back her father. He dropped his voice but Elsa everything that was said. "So I would like my payment by the end of the week."

"Of course Doctor," her father answered, his voice also dropping.

"Because otherwise…." Doctor Lewis let his voice trailed off.

"You will get your money doctor," her father said in a stern voice. "Have a nice night."

Elsa's father then marched out of the office with Elsa trotting along behind him. Once they got home, her father just shook his head. He gave Elsa a scowl but then headed off to bed. Once she heard his door shut, Elsa finally let go of the tears she had been holding in. Her legs finally gave away and she collapsed in a heap where she was; right by the front door.

She somehow found the strength to race to her bathroom where she leaned on the sink then looked into the mirror. Her face was red and was stained with tears. Her hair was wild as if it hadn't been brushed in a couple of days. She rolled up her sleeves and started to wash her face clean of any tears in case her father decided to check on her. It was tricky to do it one handed but somehow she managed – it wasn't her first time doing it.

When she placed her hand under the running tap to finish up washing, she noticed several long white lines on her wrist – the scars of past pain. She stopped still. The only sound was the tap running. Elsa got annoying by the sound so she quickly turned the knob off to stop the flow of water. Elsa shook the hair out of her face before looking at her wet face in the mirror. She grabbed the towel hanging on rung and quickly rubbed her face dried. Once again, she caught the sight of her old scars in the mirror. She threw the towel down, not even bothering to hang it up. Elsa sat down on the edge of her bathtub, thinking about it all.

It wasn't the first time that Elsa felt like this; despair seeping through, being absorbed by her skin and then transported to the cells in her body. The thoughts about why her father did what he did, why she deserved it all were going round and round her brain. These thoughts pressed down on her shoulders as if she was carrying giant granite stones. Even though tonight hadn't been the worst night in her life, it was just the fact it was this over and over again. This was her life and she didn't want to live it; she just wanted to escape from it. In the past, she use to cower out before anything happened, just having the open wounds on her wrist relieved her pain for a period of time. Elsa hadn't done anything to herself for a while now. She used to wear long sleeves to hide her bandages. Nobody noticed; why would they? Elsa just faded into the background and never said anything against her father. She didn't know why not. She just got into the habit of just accepting what was going on. Although as time went on, Elsa didn't know how much more she could take.

Elsa's eyes caught the glint of one of her father's razors. She had stolen it a long time ago and he had never noticed. Elsa got to her feet and moved towards it. The razer seemed to be trying to lure her over to it and it did seem to be working. She picked it up in her fingers and felt the metal blades across the tips of her fingers. It felt so good.

Elsa placed the metal blades to her wrist. She wanted it to all end; to die. She just wanted to have one moment of peace where she didn't have to worry about the tiniest movement could get her thrown across the room. The thought of her father panicking over what to do after she had done it made her smile. He would have to admit that this was his fault and people would see him as the fraud he is and Elsa would be free, free from it all. Elsa closed her eyes. Her fingers were about to draw the blade across her wrist when she heard the door open and the sound of someone coming home. Anna, Elsa's brain thought. Could she do this to her? Once she did, the truth would be out and Anna's life would also be destroyed. Her family could be ripped apart by this. Elsa didn't think she could do it to her. Anna who was so innocent about everything that went on around her, Elsa didn't want that ruined. But could she survive in the meantime? Elsa didn't know.

Elsa placed the razer back down. Anna would be in trouble tonight for going out with Hans. Elsa didn't want to add to that. From down the corridor, she heard the sound of her father heading down the stairs. Guess he had heard Anna coming home as well. Elsa hesitated on what she should do. Her feet eventually took her out of the bathroom and down the stairs as well but she hovered on them. From there she could see her father yelling at her sister. She looked just as angry as he did.

"I _expressly_ told you not to go out with that boy," her father was yelling at Anna. He was towering over her and had his arms folded. His face was full of anger. Maybe he was trying to restrain himself?

"Oh for crying out loud dad, it was _one_ date," Anna said. "It's not like I'm marrying the guy."

"Go to your room," he pointed at the door. "You're grounded until you have to go back to school."

"What?" shrieked Anna. "That's so not fair! That's like a week away and all my friends are here to catch up with me! Plus it's the holidays."

"Life isn't fair," their father yelled back. Elsa could have rolled her eyes. She knew all too well. "You broke the rules. You snuck out without permission to see a boy that I told you was out of bounds then you got your sister to lie for you as well as lying directly to me."

"I don't see you punishing _her_."

"She's been punished," her father fumed. "Now give me your phone!"

"Oh I bet she's given a small slap on the wrist and told never to do it again," Anna said with tears forming in her eyes. Anna handed over her phone – very unwillingly and only with a glare from her father – with a look of frustration in every inch of her face.

"Something like that," her father said. Yeah, Elsa thought, if a small slap of the wrist meant being pushed down the stairs and required a trip to the ER then yeah, it was something like that. "Now room!" her father yelled as he pointed at the stairs. "You can only leave this house with my _express_ permission."

Anna let out a shout of her annoyance before she went to go stomp up the stairs. Elsa quickly raced up the stairs and to her room. She didn't want Anna to think that she was snooping. Anna's bad mood was not one she wanted to get in the way of. Elsa heard Anna's door slam which shuddered the whole house. Elsa flinched at it. Elsa carefully left her room and tiptoed to the stairs and poked her head down them. She could see her father looking angry.

"What are you looking at?" she shouted at her.

She quickly withdrew her head and leaned against the wall – out of sight. She could see her father stomping off to the longue. She soon heard the sound of some sport's game being played. Elsa let out of a sigh of relief. That could have gone sour really quickly for her. Elsa decided to go check on her sister. Elsa knocked gently on her door and let herself in. She found Anna lying in a mess on her bed. Guess in her anger, she just threw stuff around the room.

"Hi," Elsa said in a very soft voice.

"What do you want?" Anna shot at her in a snappy tone. Elsa flinched at it. "I'm sorry," Anna said but this time more softly. "It's just that you were supposed to keep dad from finding out and I guess I'm kind of cross that it didn't work."

"Kind of cross?" Elsa repeated as she sat next to Anna on her bed which made Anna laugh. "Look I did try, really, it's just that Zoë came to the house looking for you and she ended up spilling the beans."

"Ah I see," Anna lay back on her bed. "God I am just so fucking angry at dad."

"Well he kind of has a point," Elsa shrugged. Anna quickly sat back up and glared at her older sister. "Well you did sneak out and lie," Elsa said her voice getting smaller and smaller as Anna glared at her.

"Well he didn't have to go fucking psycho on me," Anna said. "Besides, what is his problem with Hans?"

"Well maybe because he is not the kind of guy that he wants his daughter to hang around with?" Elsa suggested. "Hans uses people. He lies and cheats to get what he wants. Besides, he is a major womaniser."

"Elsa, you seriously don't believe what those trashy tabloids say about him?" Anna said. "They always make stuff up. They've invented stuff about our family before and they're doing the same thing to Hans. It's a crime really. Just to sell a few more, they make up some ridiculous story."

"Anna," Elsa was about to try and push the subject more but she could see it would be of no use. Anna had her mind made up about Hans and there would be no point in her trying to change it. Once Anna's mind was made up, it was very difficult to change it. At least Anna couldn't see Hans anymore. She was grounded and could only see people who her father said she could. She doubted that her father would leave for anything less than a fire erupting through the house. Well, this is of course assuming that Anna didn't sneak out again. Elsa didn't want to lie again. "Whatever," Elsa finished in a small voice.

"Now we just have got to get a way to get a second date," Anna said. "After all, the first one was simply _divine_." Anna suddenly got a really dreamy look on her face which made Elsa fear the worst.

"Are you serious?" Elsa said weakly. "Anna, that it not a good idea. Dad would kill you and then kill me." Plus I don't know if could take it all over again, Elsa added in her head. What would her father do to her if another night like this happened? It would probably end with Elsa going through with what she was thinking earlier.

"Oh where is your sense of _fun_?" Anna said. Gone, Elsa answered in her mind. "Come on Elsa. All you have to do is tell me when dad leaves, I invite Hans around and he'll be gone when dad get homes from work. See? No danger. Dad would never know."

"No!" Elsa said firmly. "You leave me out of this and Hans alone. Dad said no and no means no."

"Come on," Anna whined.

"No!" Elsa said again. "Otherwise you will be grounded until the end of time."

"I thought you would help me with this!" Anna said.

"Not when I could be punished for something I didn't do," Elsa blurted out.

"Oh right," Anna said sarcastically. "Like dad would do something like that."

Elsa resisted rolling her eyes. If only Anna knew…

"Look, just cool it with Hans," Elsa said. "Please."

"But dad took my phone," Anna's eyes lit up. Oh no, Elsa thought. " _You_ could get the phone for me," she suggested.

"No," Elsa shrieked. Oh god, if she did something like that…she wouldn't know what her father would do to her. She would probably end up in a full body cast.

"Please?" Anna did doggy eyes. "Come on! It will be easy. You would know where dad has put it. All you have to do is sneak along and get it for me. Or if you would prefer, come get me and show me where it is so you don't have to do it again. We could do it when dad goes to bed. What time does he go to be again? I forget these things."

"NO!" Elsa yelled. "Anna, no! No means no. I am not going to risk dad getting angry at us again. So get that through your thick skull of yours."

"Fine," she finally looked defeated. Elsa felt so relieved. Hopefully, Elsa had managed to get the crazy idea out of her mind once for all. Silence then fell between them. "What happened to your arm?" she asked as she pointed at it.

"Oh," Elsa looked down at it. "I fell down the stairs. Clumsy me. I tripped over my own feet."

Elsa hated to lie but what other choice did she have. She couldn't exactly tell her sister that she had the splint because she had tried to cover for her.

"Oh okay," Anna shrugged.

Elsa hoped that was the end of it. It wasn't.

Elsa had gone to bed later that night thinking that Anna's thick skull finally got the message. As usual, Elsa was proven to be wrong. Elsa had tossed and turned in her bed; she couldn't get to sleep. Elsa had lain awake staring at her ceiling for a good couple of hours. This was stupid, she should be celebrating the end of term not worrying about her sister and yet, she was. Eventually Elsa had decided that maybe she should go get a glass of water.

Once she was out of bed and was moving down the corridor did Elsa see a figure moving down the corridor. Elsa's heart sank. She recognised that posture, the movement of the figure. It was Anna. Elsa couldn't believe it. Anna was trying to sneak back her phone. Elsa followed her. Anna was walking towards her father's study. Well if Elsa had to guess, Anna's phone would be left there.

"Anna!" Elsa hissed. Anna jumped and placed her hand over her heart when she saw who it was.

"Oh my fucking god Elsa," she said through heavy breaths. "I thought you were dad."

"Well I fucking could have been," Elsa hissed. "What the fuck are you doing? I thought I told you leave it alone!"

"Well I couldn't go to sleep without texting Hans goodnight," Anna explained.

"Oh my fucking god," Elsa said. "You're acting like a lovesick puppy dog."

"I could be."

"First off, get a fucking grip and Anna, just think about this. The world is not going to explode if you do not text Hans goodnight."

"It could."

"No it couldn't. Go back to bed."

"Fine," Anna turned around and started walking back to her bedroom with Elsa escorting her. "Hans isn't going to think I've lost interest though?"

"I'm sure he will just think you got grounded," Elsa said.

"You absolutely sure?"

"Yes!" Elsa whispered very firmly.

"Alright," Anna paused for a while; it looked like she was thinking. Elsa dreaded to think what was going on in her head. "Could I borrow yours?"

"No," Elsa said.

"Is that the only word you know?"

"No," Elsa said which made Anna laugh.

"What are you two doing?" came a voice behind them which made both of them jump. Elsa and Anna turned nervously around. Behind them was their father.

"Hi dad," Elsa said, trembling.

"Yeah, hi dad," Anna added.

"I asked what you two were doing," their father crossed his arms and stared at them.

"We were getting some water," the lie just flew off Elsa's tongue. Elsa hated to lie but this was extreme circumstances. He would just get even madder than he did before and Elsa did not like to see that. Maybe he would hit her in front of Anna. Elsa shuddered at the very thought.

"Oh," he said. "I thought you were doing other stuff."

"No," Elsa shook her head.

"Okay, goodnight," he said before he shuffled back to his bed.

Elsa was astounded that her father believed her so easily. She was sure that he would question it but he just accepted it. Elsa had no idea what went through his head at the time but she didn't care. She was just happy that he accepted it and moved on. Now Elsa decided to move onto Anna. Hopefully nearly getting caught had knocked some sense into her. Elsa then gave Anna a look. Anna looked like she was struggling with herself.

"Fine," she blurted out. "Okay, you have a point. Dad would have found us and we would be grounded and punished until the next millennium. So okay, I'll cool it with Hans until I have my phone back."

"Thank the fucking god," Elsa said. Even though Anna had said she would cool it until she wasn't grounded anymore, that was good enough for Elsa. Anna would be going back to school and Hans had to work for his father's company. It would be difficult for them to have a relationship. Elsa would take what she could get.

"Goodnight Elsa," Anna sang as she entered her bedroom.

Elsa watched Anna shut the door in her face. She just hoped that Anna wasn't going to change her mind on this. At least Elsa only had to deal with this drama for one more week and then she could go back to her regular life – whatever that may be. When Elsa got her room, she found her phone buzzing. Elsa checked it. She hadn't checked her phone in a while and when she doesn't check it, it will continue to buzz. She must have slept through her phone buzzing while she was asleep. Elsa walked over to it, unplugged it from its charger, and checked it. It was from Rapunzel. There were many messages from her that all had been sent over the last few hours.

 _OMG Elsa, the date was fantastic! CALL!_

Elsa scrolled through the others. All her other unread messages were all from Rapunzel.

 _Elsa, why aren't you calling! I have so much to tell._

 _Elsa, CALL! ASAP!_

 _Okay, since you aren't calling me I will just have to tell you in text form._

 _We went to this very nice restaurant and had the exquisite food. OMG Elsa I will give you the full blow by blow later but OMFG._

The next text was more details about the date.

 _Then he took me for a walk and we got ice cream – yeah I know, it's winter and blah blah blah, it's too cold BUT OMG HE SHARED HIS. Now that is true love._

 _Anyway, I've got to go snooze, I'll talk more about this tomorrow. AH, I am so excited, I can't even get to sleep. I'll try. xxx_

Elsa gave a small chuckle at Rapunzel's texts. She would answer them in the morning when she wasn't sleep deprived. She was actually looking forward to Rapunzel jabber on about her date with Flynn despite what she had said earlier to Kristoff. It would feel good to see some normality and some love around her for once. This thought drove all unhappiness and any thought of Anna potentially breaking the rules out of her head. That made a smile come over her face. Tomorrow was looking like it could be a good day.

 **A/N: First off, ugh, my break is over which means I am back at university doing stupid stuff that I don't want to do like assignments, attending lectures, getting up early, ugh. Hopefully this won't impede in my ability to get new chapters out. Anyway onto the chapter! Wow, so much in this chapter, what Elsa nearly did to herself, what happened to her, Anna's discovery, so much! Wow, this chapter is really long, how did it get so long? I swear it was like 5K the last time I looked but 9? Holy smokes. Okay, onto something important now. So quick note on Jack. I know some people are waiting on him and all I can say is I am super sorry! He was meant to be in the story by now based off the plan I had in my head when I was forming this story but I got side tracked by some new ideas that had cropped into my brain as I was writing this story. By my calculations he should be on the scene in about two chapters maybe three, all depends on how I want to do chapter 7. It's just that he's in Burgess and Elsa is in Arendelle. We need to either get Jack to Arendelle or Elsa to Burgess. I have a plan guys, Jack will come onto the scene. It is just going to take a little bit of time. Hang on guys! Please! There will be Jelsa! Do not fret! Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Jemepo: Jelsa will come, it will take some time though. Please hold on for Jelsa! See my Author's note for more details.**

 **QueenMaylina8Candy: Why thank you so much!**

 **Maggietheawesome: Thanks so much for the kind words! May have to wait on Jack though.** **See my Author's note for more details.**

 **Calmdownmari: Aw thanks!**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! It may take some time before Anna finds out the truth, that's if she does find out the truth, but I do have an idea on that which you are just going to have to wait and see.**

 **itsmorefuninthePhillipine: Jack will come soon, don't worry.** **See my Author's note for more details.**

 **Miki Fubuki: Yeah it did fit, thanks for the idea. It worked really well in this chapter. Thankfully Elsa didn't blame Anna and lash out. She's been keeping it all bottled up inside which may or may not explode at some point. But yes, Anna is being a brat but not so much in this chapter I think. At least she wasn't horrible to Elsa in this chapter. Jack will come later.** **See my Author's note for more details.**


	6. Grounded

**Chapter 6: Grounded**

The next day Elsa found herself at a Starbucks in Arendelle alongside Rapunzel and Merida. She had been dragged out of her bed at nine o'clock by the insistence of Rapunzel as she wanted to talk about nothing but her date the previous night. Rapunzel looked tired but excited. Merida let out a long yawn – like Rapunzel she was out all night but unlike Rapunzel, it wasn't a date, she was watching a Grey's Anatomy marathon. Rapunzel had already gabbled on and on about the very individual details. Elsa could feel her eyelids drooping by the ten minute discussion about Flynn's eyelashes.

Elsa took a sip of her cappuccino. The warm beverage slid down her throat into her stomach, warming her insides as it went. The cappuccino was good. Elsa looked up from her drink to Rapunzel. She snapped her fingers in front of Elsa's eyes. Elsa jumped as Rapunzel did this. Her drink nearly went everywhere.

"Elsa!" Rapunzel said.

"What?" Elsa said.

"You weren't listening," Rapunzel said.

"I was," Elsa said trying to sound offended.

"Then what was I saying?"

"Um," Elsa stammered as she paused to try and remember what was being said. Was it something about the shade of Flynn's eyes? "Flynn's green sweater?"

"His sweater was blue," Rapunzel's eyes narrowed. "Elsa that was a lucky guess. You weren't listening."

"Well sorry but there is just so much I can listen to the way Flynn's eyes glisten," Elsa replied.

"I hate to say it," Merida said to Rapunzel, "but she's got a point."

"Fine," Rapunzel said but she sounded grumpy.

Elsa laughed but she made sure to pay extra attention to Rapunzel's story. Even when Rapunzel started to discuss the way Flynn walked. It seemed Rapunzel was heads over heels in love with Flynn (or Eugene but he didn't like to go too deeply into that). Rapunzel and Flynn was a decent guy – despite his pass of being a petty thief. Flynn, along with The Stabbington brothers – two brothers who had formed a gang – used to rob some stores. They had invited Flynn along as they needed some fresh blood. Flynn had gotten into a lot of trouble and would probably have gotten into more if his parole officer hadn't managed to get him back onto the right track. That had been for a couple of years now. Flynn was now crime free.

That was really all Elsa knew on the subject. Flynn didn't really like to talk about that kind of thing. Although Elsa did know that the Stabbington brothers were now serving ten years for armed robbery. Flynn had to testify at their trial last year. That hadn't been easy for him. The Stabbington brothers looked livid when they had been sentenced. Flynn was sure that they would come for his blood but Elsa thought that they had better things to worry about. Besides, Flynn had a restraining order against them anyway which would help out if they did come for him. Rapunzel had been there for him which Elsa was sure was the time when Flynn started to fall for Rapunzel (Rapunzel had been crushing on Flynn for several months before that). He was really into Rapunzel, you could easily tell that. Elsa liked that Rapunzel had found someone that she could connect with.

"So, Elsa, how did you get that arm splint?" Merida suddenly asked.

Elsa was snapped out of her thoughts in an instance. Merida's question had taken her completely by surprise. She had hoped that they wouldn't ask about it. So far, so good – they had been too absorbed in Rapunzel's story to ask anything about it but it appeared her good fortune was coming to a very unfortunate end. Elsa hated lying to her friends – in fact she was tired of it but it was a necessary thing she had to do. What else could she say? If she told them the truth, they would freak out about it and try and meddle which was something that Elsa did not want to happen. She could deal with things – well okay that was a lie but she needed to, she didn't need them interfering. All she had to do was wait until the end of the year. That's when she was planning her great escape – she needed to get out of Arendelle before it was too late.

"I fell down the stairs," Elsa gave a fake laugh which made Rapunzel and Merida both raise their eyebrows.

"You fell down the stairs?" Merida asked. "Forgive me for saying this Elsa but you seem to fall down the stairs a lot."

"No I don't," Elsa said. This time it was the truth. In fact Elsa had never fallen down the stairs – pushed, yes, but never fallen. "It just seems like that. Anna is always leaving stuff about and I didn't see it. I was too busy texting."

"Who were you texting?" Rapunzel asked. Suddenly all suspicion about Elsa's story evaporated in an instance. Trust Rapunzel to be more into Elsa's texting habits than her physical health.

"Well if you must know it was Jeremias," Elsa said. Jeremias was a classmate of theirs. Her father would never approve of her texting a member of the male gender so she kept it all hushed up. This part of the story wasn't made up. Jeremias did text her a little earlier in that day, Elsa was just lying about _when_ he was texting her.

"Jeremias huh?" Rapunzel nudged Elsa with her elbow.

"Shut up," Elsa said. "He needed help with his maths homework."

Jeremias, it seemed, always seemed to have some problem with maths. It somehow seemed like everyone was and that Elsa was the only one who managed to get it. Well maths was a fucking bitch. Everyone hated it – well Elsa didn't really. She actually liked it. Maths would always guarantee an answer – it was logical and factual; two things that Elsa liked. Rapunzel thought she was a freak of nature – "who actually likes maths?" was what she always said. Elsa was starting to think she was right. Even her teacher hated maths. She often wondered why he became a maths teacher then. She hasn't yet gotten an answer to that.

"I'm sure that's not the only thing he wants your help with," Merida giggled.

Elsa rolled her eyes. Merida was, of course, referring to the not-so-secret crush that Jeremias had for her. It was quite obvious that he liked her. The whole school could see it. Elsa was sure that Rapunzel was already creating ship names for them. Elsa didn't like it the whole thing one bit. Jeremias was a nice guy, sure, but he had heaps of crushes. Last year he had seven which included Rapunzel. Meanwhile, Elsa didn't even feel anything but friendship for the guy. She sometimes thought she wasn't capable of that emotion. But then something told her that maybe she hadn't met the right guy yet.

"Grow up," Elsa said. "We're just friends and nothing more. Besides I don't want a boyfriend."

"Sure," Merida and Rapunzel said in unison. They were giggling together like idiots which made Elsa feel a little frustrated.

Elsa once again rolled her eyes. She loved her friends but at moments like this, she wished she had the ability to teleport or to turn invisible. Elsa checked her watch and realised that she needed to be home soon. She couldn't hang around all day and her father had set some chores for her to do. He had told her that he didn't care when they were done as long as they were done by her bedtime.

"Got to go guys," Elsa said grabbing her coat.

"No," they both whined.

"You are always leaving way too early," Rapunzel said.

"Dad has stuff he wants me to do," Elsa explained as she put her jacket on. "I'll see you guys at school."

"Alright," Rapunzel still looked a little upset. "See you then."

"Bye Elsa," Merida said.

"Bye," Elsa said as she waved.

Elsa hurried out of Starbucks to the bus stop. Elsa wrapped her jacket around her to keep her warm as a cool breeze drifted around. Elsa was only waiting for a few minutes as the bus pulled up. Elsa checked her watch. It was early. Elsa clambered onto the bus and it took off a few seconds later. Elsa managed to find a seat and she sat down onto it. Due to the bus being early, she arrived twenty minutes later which was a relief. That gave her plenty of time to do what her father wanted her to do.

She carefully placed her jacket on hook by the door and found Anna watching TV in the lounge when she opened the door. Anna looked as if the world had screwed her over. Elsa stifled a laugh. Anna was simply in Hans withdrawal. She had begged Elsa to tell Hans that she was grounded and thus couldn't talk to him. Elsa had initially been against it but afterwards she decided that if she didn't do it, Anna would go herself and get the pair of them into even more trouble.

That was something that Elsa didn't want to experience again. At least if Elsa did it, she would prevent this – thankfully her father hadn't found out anything yet. Elsa just had to act like nothing is wrong – a skill that Elsa had yet to master. She hated having to lie to her father; she knew what would happen if she was found out which was why she hated it. But Anna had begged and so Elsa had obliged. Hans had understood when Elsa had told him what had happened. He had asked Elsa to pass on a message to Anna saying that he looks forward to when they could talk again. Anna had been thrilled by this message – Elsa not so much. Anna had made Elsa swear not to tell their father about this and so far he hadn't. Elsa still lived in fear about what would happen if their father found out what had happened between them.

"How were the friends?" Anna asked in a bored tone.

"Fine," Elsa threw herself next to her sister. "You look like you've had very productive day."

"Being grounded sucks," Anna moaned.

"I thought being grounded meant no TV," Elsa said pointing to the TV.

"No," Anna said. "Dad told me the rules this morning. I can't hang out with my friends, can't leave this house without permission, can't contact Hans in any way and I can't have anyone over. He said I was allowed TV until nine though."

"Oh, okay," Elsa said.

Elsa felt unfairness burn her insides. Once again, her father was demonstrating unfairness towards her. Whenever Elsa was grounded, she wasn't allowed to even go near the TV or her laptop – unless it was work related and that was with her father breathing down her neck. Sometimes he would lock her in her bedroom and would only let her out during meal times – sometimes he just left her in there for days. Elsa sighed. Anna was the favourite child – there was no doubt about that. Elsa had known for years that this would be an outcome of her plan to save Anna. Anna wasn't here to piss her father off so therefore she wouldn't be any trouble to them thus becoming his favourite child. Meanwhile Elsa would get her twisted behind her back if she so much as breathed suspiciously.

"What's on?" Elsa continued.

"Nothing," Anna moaned again. "This time of day it's all cooking shows and I hate cooking shows."

"Oh come on," Elsa said. "They're not that bad." Anna gave her a look. "Okay, maybe just a tad."

Anna rested her head on Elsa's shoulder and flicked through the channels looking for something interesting to watch. Elsa relaxed into the couch as Anna decided to watch some random episode of Hell's Kitchen.

The rest of the week flew by to Elsa's surprise. Nothing out of the ordinary happened and Elsa was glad of it. The week had felt oddly normal to her which was something that Elsa didn't get to experience very often. Somehow Anna had managed to cool her heels with Hans (she probably didn't want to get into trouble again) which surprised Elsa to the core – that is until the last day of her being in Arendelle. It had been so close but yet so far away. Anna had been too excited about seeing Hans and so when her father handed her phone back (at the same time warned her about using it to text Hans), she instantly texted Hans the moment her father had turned his back and told him to come round in a bit.

Elsa had found out about this when she had come back from her usual morning jog. Every day, Elsa liked to go for a jog around Arendelle to keep fit and when she came back she found Anna and Hans making out in their couch near the front door. Elsa nearly lost it when she saw this scene. Her heart had plummeted. Her blood pounded around her body. Her body started to sweat.

"Oi!" Elsa shouted loudly at the couple.

The pair broke apart and Anna looked at her older sister. They both looked surprised to see Elsa there but Anna smiled very widely.

"Hey sis," she said. "Guess what! Hans is here!"

"Yeah, I can see that," Elsa said, every inch of her sweating excessively. Hans was not supposed to come within one hundred metres of the Winters' mansion and he was definitely not supposed to be making out with Anna on a couch. Elsa's eyes went to Hans. He gave Elsa a cherry wave. "Hi Hans," Elsa said in a weary small voice. She even gave him a small, nervous wave.

"Hey Elsa," Hans said in a very upbeat voice which just annoyed Elsa even further. "Pity you couldn't come to the dinner the other week. I don't think we've been formally introduced but it feels like I've known you for years based off what Anna's told me."

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Elsa said. "Anna, can I speak to you for a few minutes?" Elsa added to her sister very nervously.

"I'm kind of –" Anna started but then Elsa grabbed her upper arm and pulled her, hard, away from Hans, "– whoa, okay!"

"Are you insane?" Elsa hissed as soon as they were out of earshot of Hans. "Hans, Anna? _Hans_? Really?"

"Oh calm down," Anna told her. "Dad isn't even home till later."

"Dad will find out!" Elsa sounded shrill.

"How? Will you tell him?"

Elsa recoiled from the glare that her sister was giving her. "Of course, not," Elsa stuttered. Truth be told, Elsa didn't want her father finding out anything. He would kill her – and she wasn't speaking metaphorically.

"Great!" Anna sang. "Don't worry about dad; he's in meetings all day. By the time he gets home, Hans will be long gone. He's just saying goodbye before I leave tomorrow later. So dad won't know a thing."

"I highly doubt that," Elsa rolled her eyes.

Anna opened her mouth to say a sassy comment back but then the door open again and this time it wasn't someone that they were all pleased to see.

"Hello girls," their father said from behind Elsa. Elsa's inside froze solid. Her father was home. He was home before he was supposed to be. Her father placed his briefcase by the front door. "What is every–" he stopped dead when he saw Hans sitting on the couch in his house. "What is _he_ doing here?" he thundered at his daughters.

"Um, well," Anna stammered.

"Did you invite _him_ over when I clearly said _not_ to?" her father yelled.

"Well," Anna said backing up slightly and speaking in a high pitch tone, "maybe."

"You!" he barked at Hans who quickly jumped to his feet. "Out!" he grabbed Hans by the scruff of his collar and pulled him towards the door. Hans quickly left the house after their father kicked him out. When he left, their father advanced on them. He looked absolutely vivid. Elsa knew that trying to explain that she had nothing to do with this was useless. He was probably already coming up with a dozen different ways to punish them.

"Dad –" Anna started but he put up his hand to stop her.

"Enough," he said. "I want you packed and ready to go. I can't punish you here but I shall ring your school and ask for them to discipline you. Maybe some detentions will get through to you."

"But dad," Anna moaned. "Detentions are stupid."

"They're not supposed to be fun. That'll defeat the purpose of them. Now go get packing." He thumbed in the direction of the stairs. "I think you've forgotten that you have a plane to catch in just a few hours."

"Oh yeah," Anna said looking a little foolish.

"Now move," their father said pointing to the stairs again. "I doubt you have packed at all. So move it!"

Anna bowed her head and quickly raced up the stairs. Elsa saw her father breathing hard. He looked so angry. Elsa tensed up. Surely he wouldn't do anything while Anna was in the house but that didn't stop him the other night. Elsa braced herself for what was coming. She wished for once he wouldn't blame her for every little thing that happened in the household but that was the way it was and has been for many years now. Elsa's happy memories of when she was a child seem like someone else's. She was sure that part of her life was a dream – well if it was, this was a nightmare.

Elsa didn't dare look directly at her father. She wondered what was going through his head. He was starting at her – unable to speak due to anger.

"When I come back from dropping Anna off at the airport," he said in between heavy breaths, "I want you to be in your room. This time for a week. Got it?" Elsa nodded very slowly. She knew what that meant. It was one of his worst punishments; Elsa was to be locked in her room without any contact with anyone, no laptop, no cell phone, no meals, nothing. The only thing she was allowed was books. "Now go help your sister pack," her father spat at her. "We've leaving in half an hour."

Elsa nodded again and scurried up the stairs and out of sight. She was breathing hard but not with anger like her father but fear and nervousness. It was going to be a week this time. He had done a few days before – nothing over five days – but now a whole seven days. This was going to be interesting. Elsa knocked on her sister's door and let herself in. Anna's room was a complete mess as everything was thrown onto the floor. There was a large suitcase on the bed that was open. Piles of clothes were next to it and Anna was throwing them into the suitcase unceremoniously looking upset.

"Hello Elsa," she said wiping some tears from her face. "Guess we did get caught."

" _We_?" Elsa repeated. "Don't you mean _you_?"

"Oh yeah," Anna repeated nervously. "Sorry about that. What's your punishment?"

"Grounded," Elsa said.

"That's not fair," Anna said looking up from the jacket she was holding. "You didn't do anything."

"Yeah, well," Elsa sat down on Anna's bed, "dad probably thinks that I was helping you."

"Didn't you get a chance to explain?" Anna sat down next to Elsa.

"Nope," Elsa said.

Anna gaped at her. "I'll go right now and tell dad that you had nothing to do with it."

"Please Anna don't," Elsa begged. "It will only make things worse."

"How can you say that? You're getting punished for something you didn't do!"

"Well it's not like I didn't do anything," Elsa said. "I have helped you with Hans, haven't I? So I'm not completely innocent."

"Still," Anna said, "I think you should tell dad what really happened."

"Anna, dad is not going to change his mind on this. So please drop it."

"Elsa –"

"Drop it," Elsa said firmly, interrupting Anna as she spoke.

They continued to pack in silence. Elsa refolded some of Anna's clothes and rearranged her suitcase so she could fit everything in it. Anna wasn't exactly the best packer in the world. Elsa, who was always neat and tidy, strived to make sure everything was as well.

"That's all done," Anna said shutting the lid of her suitcase. She turned to her sister. "Well, I guess I'll see you next year? I'm heading to New York with Céline and Audrey. Audrey's sister is at Yale, so we're going to see her. I'll probably see you in the summer though."

"Yeah, summer," Elsa repeated.

Anna gave Elsa a quick hug and a smile before she left her room. Elsa just stood in the empty room. It seemed like it got bigger without the clatter of Anna's endless possessions. Elsa heard her dad yelling saying that they were off. Elsa raced to the stairs and waved goodbye to them. Her dad gave her a glare as he left the room. That glare clearly told Elsa to get to her room as soon as possible. Elsa trudged back up the stairs in a sluggish manner. Well there went her holidays. She quickly gave a text to Rapunzel and Merida saying that she was grounded and unable to see them for a while. They texted back in an instance. Rapunzel texted back first.

 _What did you do? LOL, anyway, bad luck. Hopefully you get your grounding lifted soon._

Elsa's text pinged again and it was Merida.

 _What happened? Sorry to hear. I was hoping to go to the ice skating park later this week but ah well. Catch up soon._

Elsa quickly replied. She explained about Hans and said that she was sorry. She got a replied back from the pair of them.

 _Bad luck, Hans is trouble but see ya soon._

That was from Rapunzel. Merida's message pinged a few seconds after.

 _How unfortunate. Hopefully see you soon._

Elsa replied back with 'yeah, catch up soon' before she placed her phone on the bedside table next to her. She lay onto her bed. Soon her father would come back. She didn't want that to happen. Merida had said something about the ice skating ring. That would be fantastic to go there but the day her father would lift her grounding so that she could go do something fun would be the day when there is a blue moon. Elsa sighed and waited for the inevitable to happen.

The door opened an hour later and she heard her father trudge through the door. Elsa didn't bother to get up. She knew that there would be no point in getting up. He would just yell at her for coming out of her bedroom. There was a sound of footsteps running up the stairs and then Elsa's door open. Her father looked pleased to see that Elsa was in her room. He gathered up some of her stuff like her laptop and phone before closing the door behind her. There was a small click as the door was locked from the outside. Elsa sighed again. This was going to be a long week.

As Elsa predicted, the week seemed to span forever. Elsa had many books – some she had read more than once – to keep her company. It was the only thing that she was allowed. Her father had practically taken everything out of her room that was worth passing the time with. Once her father had taken all her clothes (except the ones she was wearing) because she had bought a new t-shirt because the old one had gotten ruined when she tripped and fell into some mud. Thankfully, that lock down only was three days (her father had done it because she had gotten an A- last year on a test and he wanted her to make up for it by studying really hard) so it wasn't too bad. She had experienced worst but it was nothing like this.

The first few days were torture. The endless sound of her stomach growling was enough to keep her up at night, so sleep was deprived from her as well. However, these lock-ins provided a use for Elsa. Since her father didn't have to concern himself with her, it gave Elsa the chance to start planning her exit from this life. The moment she could, she was going to get out of here. Elsa checked on her bag that she had packed ages ago. Her father never found it. He couldn't be bothered to check her room which Elsa was glad of.

She had packed only the essentials – clothes, toiletries, that kind of thing. There were a few things missing but she hoped she would have time to grab them. Money was going to be an issue but slowly and very carefully, over the last few years, she had saved some money. It wasn't much but it would get her a plane ticket, some food and some rent. Elsa pulled out a map of the world and started to trace routes with her finger. She had applied to quite a few universities. There wouldn't be any word until her final grades came out for the year but everyone was applying early. Elsa didn't really care where she ended up as long as it was somewhere where her father could never find her.

Elsa folded up the map and placed it back into her closet. That was only a pipe dream. She doubted it would really happen. She flung herself back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. What if it wasn't though? What if she could actually pull it off? What if she managed to get accepted to a university that _she_ wanted to go to and not one that her father wanted to? Well that seemed as factual as Lord of The Rings. Elsa punched her pillow into place and lay onto it. Well, she could dream. Where was the harm in that?

Elsa didn't know how she survived the other four days. She had never been locked up for a week before. She had a small tennis ball that she liked to throw around. If she didn't throw it hard, her father wouldn't complain and take it away from her. He had done that before. The ball allowed her to think about something other than her imprisonment. By the sixth day, Elsa was curled up on her bed. She was so weak from hunger.

That wasn't the only thing. She hadn't had much water either. Her father had come in a couple of days ago with a drink of water for her. Elsa had tried not to gulp it down but she ended up doing that. It wasn't until she was half way through did she realise. Elsa stared at the glass that was sitting next to her. There were just a few drops left. She picked it up and carefully navigated one of these drops into her mouth. It wasn't enough to quince her thirst but it would have to do.

By the seventh, Elsa felt like she was going to go crazy if she wasn't let out soon. She felt like the walls were caving in on her and that they would slowly consume her. She would rock back and forwards on her bed, muttering to herself. She was going insane. The lack of sleep, food and water was going to destroy her. She didn't know how she was going to survive this. If she wasn't let out soon, she was going to jump out the close window just so she could get some fresh air.

The seven days eventually came to an end and her father let out of her room. Elsa was glad to finally see something that wasn't the four walls of her room. The light of the hallway almost blinded her as she stumbled into it. She was so use to the light in her room that it would take a bit of time for her eyes to get used to new light. At least she had light in her bedroom for a decent part of the week. The last few days she hadn't had the strength to open her curtains so her eyes would take some time to adjust to light.

"I hope you've learnt your lesson," he growled at her.

Elsa could only nod. Her voice was failing her. Her father seemed to accept this and let her got grab some food. Elsa was very grateful for this. She was _very_ hungry.

* * *

Anna stepped off the airplane after her flight from Arendelle. She walked – not very quickly – down to the baggage claim area. It didn't take her long for her to find her suitcase. She didn't know if she felt good to be back in Switzerland. She did enjoy being home but she had the strangest feeling about Elsa and her dad. She didn't know why she felt that but she did. It almost felt like they were hiding something – something big. She could almost sense the fact that Elsa had been lying to her the entire time. There was just something strange about her. Elsa used to be different – Anna just couldn't put her finger on it.

When they were much younger, Elsa used to be fun but now, she was solemn and serious. She didn't talk to her unless she had to. Elsa would shut everyone out. She would never go out and didn't hang out with her friends very often. Anna couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe Anna was over thinking things.

Anna used to think that Elsa just simply hated her. After all, it was Elsa who convinced their dad to send her away for school. It was Elsa who shut her out whenever Anna would try and talk to her. Maybe Elsa really didn't like her at all. Well if that was the case, Anna could return the favour. But she couldn't. There was just something that prevented her from trying to hate her own sister. There was something she was missing; she was sure of it. But she would, on other days, simply go back to her first assumption – that her sister just didn't like her.

Anna found a taxi to take her to school. Her school wasn't far from Stockholm – only about half an hour – which was good during weekends. It took them a good couple of hours to get to Anna's school due to traffic and the fact that the airport was a good distance away from the school. But soon, Anna saw the familiar school come into view. She paid the driver and thanked him for the lift. The driver helped Anna get her suitcase out of the car before driving off. Anna wheeled her suitcase into her school and up to her room. It wasn't long before she got a knock on her door. Anna looked up and saw that was Vivian – a New Zealand exchange student – at the door. Vivian lived just down the hall and room with Audrey.

"Hey Viv," Anna said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Headmistress wants a word," Vivian said in her New Zealand accent.

Anna's heart sank. She knew what that would be about. Dad must have ringed them, she thought.

She sighed. "Thanks Viv."

"No problem," Viv said with a smile before she disappeared.

Anna left her room without bothering to unpack. School didn't start for a couple of days so she had time to. Anna made her way through the dormitories and back into the main school. The headmistress's office was on the ground floor opposite the dining room. Anna knocked on the door and she was told to come in.

"Ah Anna, good," the headmistress said as Anna stepped into the room.

Anna was a little nervous. She had only been in this room once before and that was when she had first started school. However, since that day, leadership had changed hands. It used to belong to Headmaster Trevor Yates – an American man who would pick favourites and allowed them to run amuck around the school. He had been fired three years ago when his favouritism and biased behaviour had come to light. The school board did not like that. The new person in charge was Headmistress Astrid Stjerne **(1)** – a Norwegian woman who was quite strict but she was fair. Anna did like the new headmistress but she was now terrified.

"You sent for me?" Anna asked as she took a seat opposite Headmistress Stjerne. Anna looked directly at her.

"Yes," Headmistress Stjerne said. "I got off the phone with your father, Mr Winters, a few minutes ago. He seems to be concerned about some incident at home – he didn't go into it – but he has been requesting that I punish you for it."

"Oh," Anna said simply.

"May I ask what happened?"

"Well, I disobeyed him," Anna shrugged. "He didn't want me seeing a boy and I did."

"Ah," Headmistress Stjerne leaned back in her chair and entwined her fingers. "I understand. Teenage love versus father's protection. Let me guess, your dad doesn't like this boy?"

"No," Anna shook her head.

"Well," Headmistress Stjerne sat up straight, "it's like I said; your father is asking me to give you some form of punishment."

"Like detention," Anna suggested.

"Well yes," Headmistress Stjerne nodded. "However, I told your father I can only punish you for school related problems. What goes on in your own home is between your father and you. It has nothing to do with us."

Anna felt elated. What was going on? Was Headmistress Stjerne really letting her off the hook?

"Therefore," Headmistress Stjerne continued, "I will not be punishing you. Your father did not like this but my hands are tied. He doesn't have to like it; he just has to accept it."

"So, no punishment?" Anna said, slightly nervous.

"No punishment," confirmed Headmistress Stjerne. " _But_ I do warn you, if you make a slip up her like inviting the boy onto school premises, well then I can issue punishments."

"Don't worry about that," Anna said. "I'm not stupid."

"Good," Headmistress Stjerne looked pleased at this answer. "Now if I was you, I would resume unpacking otherwise it will be left until the last moment."

"Thank you," Anna said. "I will go do that now."

Headmistress Stjerne smiled at Anna and she smiled back. Anna quickly left the office and hurried down the corridor. She felt like she was walking on water. Somehow, she had managed to get away from that office with no punishment. Well, to be honest, she felt like Headmistress Stjerne was right. She shouldn't have to get punished for something that didn't happen at school. Anna made her way happily through the school. She eventually turned the corner and found Céline and Audrey in the corridor.

They were standing really close to each other. Anna could see their lips meeting on more than one occasion. Céline had one hand one Audrey's cheek and the other around her waist. Anna felt a small bubble of happiness whenever she saw them together. She really did want to see them and talk to them but she decided against it. They looked pretty busy to her. Besides, she didn't want them to tell her about their relationship so suddenly. She wanted them to tell her when they were ready. Not when she barges in on their private moment together. She swivelled on her heels and left them too it. She didn't even care if she now had to go the long way around.

She managed to get to her room fifteen minutes later. She found the same mess in there which demoralised her. Sighing, Anna started to unpack. Headmistress Stjerne was right; if she didn't do it now, it would be left until the last possible moment. Anna was about to start putting her shirts on coat hangers when her phone started buzzing and her ringtone sang loudly around the room. Anna saw the name 'Hans' pop up on Caller ID. Anna giggled when she saw this.

"Hello," she said when she answered the phone.

 _"_ _Hello,"_ Hans answered back. _"How was the flight? Not to tedious?"_

"It was alright," Anna shrugged. "How are you? Sorry we couldn't talk or see each other last week. My dad can be very annoying."

 _"_ _I understand,"_ Hans replied. "So what are you up to?"

"Oh just unpacking," Anna said. "It's been very boring."

 _"_ _I wish I could come and help. It would be so much for fun than having to sit in on meetings all day."_

Anna laughed. "I wish that too but I don't think the headmistress would be too pleased about that. There is a rule which I don't want to break."

 _"_ _Now that's too bad. But I understand."_

"So what are you up to?" Anna asked.

 _"_ _Meetings, always meetings,"_ there was a tiredness in his voice which Anna sympathised with.

They continued to talk for several more minutes until Hans said that he had to go because he was about to go into a meeting. Anna said goodbye and Hans promised to be up for the long weekend which was in about five weeks. Anna was so happy to hear this. It would be agony for her to go so long without seeing him. Thankfully phones and Skype were invented so keeping in touch wasn't an issue. Although Anna wished that Hans could come visit but only friends and family could visit and Hans wasn't really neither.

He was a lot more than a friend. She could get into serious trouble for inviting Hans into the school. Anna sighed and decided to resume unpacking. This was going to be a very boring day but it is best that she gets it over and done with. Would she really want to spend the last few days left of her holidays with this chore hanging over her? The answer to that would be a no. She wouldn't be able to enjoy herself and she wanted to enjoy herself for as long as possible before all the fun gets sapped from her when term started. So Anna, begrudgely, continued unpacking.

Anna was putting away some socks when Zoë marched into the room.

"Ah, so it _is_ true," she said. "The great Annaniski has returned!"

Anna giggled. "Who told you?"

"Viv," Zoë threw herself onto Anna's bed. "She said something about going to see Stjerne."

"Yeah," Anna sat down next to her. "Basically the whole thing with Hans was something that dad did not like. So he asked Stjerne to punish me."

"Wow," Zoë said. "What happened? Do you like have detention for like a month or something?"

"Nope," Anna shook her head. "Stjerne said that since it wasn't school related, she couldn't do anything."

"Wow," Zoë repeated. "What a stroke of luck."

"I know right?" Anna laughed. "Want to help me unpack?"

"Sure," Zoë said. "Do you know Céline is? I need to ask her about that shiny Kingdra she has."

Anna laughed. Both Zoë and Céline were massive Pokémon fans. Anna couldn't really play the games. She was okay but not as good as them. Céline once yelled at her for using a grass type move against a fire type Pokémon (grass was weak against fire). Anna was pretty shaken by that.

"Er, yep," Anna said. "She is preoccupied with Audrey."

"Studying already?" Zoë said. "Man they are not wasting any time."

"Not studying," Anna said.

"Then what?"

"The other thing," Anna said. "They have a shared interest in each other's tonsils," she added when Zoë still looked a little confused.

"Oh," Zoë said as it finally came to her. "Ah, of course. I don't know why they don't tell us. It's not like we won't support it."

"Meh, maybe they just want to see where it goes," Anna shrugged. "Now come on, we need to get this mess tidied away."

Zoë laughed but resumed helping Anna.

 **(1) Means star in Norwegian.**

 **A/N: Okay guys, so sorry I've been completely MIA over the past couple of weeks but I have been very busy with university work plus I've had a lot of writer's block and my friend wanted me to beta her story for her. So yeah, a lot of things have taken up my time. So super sorry. For those reading Thirst, I will try and get that updated as soon as possible - it all depends on when I can write due to university work. Another thing, chapter 7 was originally part of this chapter but I split it into two due to length wise - the chapters were getting far too long. So my calculations for when Jack shows up could be one chapter later. Also the next chapter is finished (as that was supposed to be part of this chapter before I split it) so that will be posted quite soon. After that, I have no idea when the next chapter is as I am so busy and I also have exams coming up which will take most of my time soon. So super sorry guys. My workload sucks at the moment. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Charllote64: Glad to see that you have been enjoying this story (as for when you review - don't worry about that) as well as the length of the chapters - I try to make them a decent length. Yeah the same thing frustrates me but like you said, if only she knew. Jack will appear soon and yes, he will help Elsa. Yeah sorry about infrequent updates. I am in the middle of a difficult semester. Yeah, onto the thing you suggest, I have been trying to cut that down but I find that 'she' then becomes very frequent. I feel like in 'Elsa' is better as it helps knowing who's doing what but I do know what you are talking about and I am trying to fix it. On your PS, you're English is pretty good.**

 **Guest: Thank you! Coming out with another chapter.**

 **Guest: Finding time to write has been difficult but I do update when I can.**

 **Guest (MixyBell): I am not dead. Sorry for making you think I was. I just have been really busy. Sorry for not updating.**

 **sanna11: I can't tell if that's sarcastic or not. I hope it's a complement - if so, thanks.**

 **QueenMaylinaCandy: Thanks! Jack will appear on the scene soon - I hope.**

 **Guest: Thanks! I update when I can.**

 **Maggietheawesome: Haha, well I doubt Hans would do that as it could corrupt his position in society. Hans may not end up being the bad guy in this. I have other characters for that. It wasn't bad for you to look forward to that. It would have made that chapter far more interesting. Thanks! I would like to think that I would have written a scene like that very well. For Jack, I have a good idea on his introduction - there may be a feels attack, there may not.**

 **ZERO-xxx: Well I wasn't originally going to have Anna mess things up but your review made me think twice, so thanks! Jack's introduction should hopefully be good - I hope. I have a good idea for it.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! Well it looks like Elsa couldn't keep Anna away from Hans after all. I'll try to.**


	7. Desperation

**Warning: high use of language in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 7: Desperation**

The rest of the year passed with the same sort of style as the rest of the year had. Elsa's test results all came through – all of them had an A+ stamped at the top of them. Her father was at least pleased with those results. Elsa kept her head down and continued working as hard as she possibility could. Her father seemed to like this. She kept out of his way and did what she was told to do – this limited the amount of suffering she had to endure. It was a strategy that she had formed over the years. At least she didn't have to go to the ER as much when she implemented this strategy.

Nothing interesting happened over the rest of the year which Elsa was thankful for. Nothing unexpected jumped out at her which Elsa hated – that was the whole trouble with Hans, Anna behaved in a way that Elsa didn't expect at the time. But now that she thought about it, Anna did behave in a way that a lovesick teenage girl would behave. Rapunzel and Flynn continued to date over the years. Due to this, Elsa had to deal with a love struck friend but she didn't mind a single bit – in fact she loved it immensely. At least her friend was having the time of her life which was something that Elsa didn't know. Rapunzel wasn't the only one who was love struck. Kristoff seemed to be sulking ever since Anna left to go back to school. Elsa had to stifle some laughs whenever she saw his sullen face. He seemed to have it bad. He asked Elsa about Anna a few times but Elsa didn't really have any answers for him. She and Anna didn't really talk a lot since they didn't have much of a relationship. Elsa didn't mind that – it kept Anna further away from Elsa's little secret.

Finals came and Elsa buried her head into her books. Her father made sure that she studied from dawn to dusk. He kept saying that he didn't want some slacker running his family business. Elsa seriously doubted that her father would let her run Winters Corporation. She was sure that he wanted Anna to take over the family business but Elsa got better grades than Anna. It wasn't that Anna wasn't smart; it was just that she got too distracted at school which meant her grades weren't the best. Also, as the oldest born, Elsa was entitled to inherit the company as that was the way the company was passed. But Elsa was sure that if her father had it his way, he would cut her out and leave everything to Anna. Sometimes that sounded so heartless but then Elsa would look at whatever injury she sustained that week and realised that maybe that was just how her father played this game called life.

The finals came and went – very quickly for some reason. Despite Elsa thinking that they were going by so quickly, everyone else didn't seem to share this thought; they all thought that they were stuck in time. Elsa often heard Rapunzel moaning about how long these exams seem to stretched on. However, unlike Rapunzel who wanted the finals to be over as soon as possible, Merida wanted them to never end. She was terrified about starting university. It just seemed a little too much pressure and responsibility for her liking. She had recently been accepted to the University of Arendelle under a sporting scholarship – Merida was an archery champion and was probably heading to the Olympics in a few years' time. That was something that Merida was looking forward to very much so. It had been her dream for many years to represent either her home country, Scotland or Norway. Merida was born in Scotland and lived there for many years until her father decided to send her to Arendelle to have a better education. Rapunzel was applying for a Fine Arts degree – a degree that focused solely on someone wanting to work in the art world such as a painter or a sculptor, that kind of thing. Rapunzel's dream was to teach art at their school which mean she was also doing an Education degree before she was going to apply to Teacher's College – where you go to get certified to become a teacher.

"Where are you off to Elsa?" Rapunzel asked as she slammed her locker door.

They were standing by their lockers. Elsa had just finished her Chemistry exam and was preparing to go home so that she could study for her final exam the next day. It was Maths and Elsa was looking forward in getting it over and done with. She was glad that school was over. It could mean that she could potentially get out of Arendelle.

"Well dad wants me to go to Oxford where he went to," Elsa shrugged. "I may end up going to the University of Arendelle like you guys but I really want to travel and see a new country and go to university there. What dad wants and what I want could end up being two different wants."

"Stay here with us," whined Rapunzel. "If you go to England, we would never see you."

Elsa smiled. "I'm sure that won't happen."

Elsa's heart sank. The truth be told, if she did carry through with her plan, she would probably never see her friends again as she would be cutting all ties with Arendelle in an effort to get away from her father. That was not a friendly thought. Could she give them up so that she could escape her father? Well they would probably be better off without her – Elsa secretly hoped not but that was probably the reality. Rapunzel would spend all her time with her new boyfriend and Merida would be too busy practicing so that she could go to the Olympics. So Elsa sighed heavily in her head. Well, that was what she imagined happening anyway. Thereby, she couldn't stay. She didn't know if she could survive if she did. So could she leave? Well, it wasn't a question of whether she could; it was more of a she had to.

"But maybe do what _you_ want to do Elsa," Merida said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Elsa shrugged. "I don't know. Dad wants me to run our company and I would like to carry on that honour."

That wasn't a complete lie. If the world had turned a different way and Elsa hadn't ended up with an abuser for a father, then maybe she would end up running Winters' Corporation and she may have ended up loving it. She wouldn't want to live out her dream. She would have carried on her family tradition as that could have ended up being her dream. It would have been an honour to lead such a great and powerful company. Elsa slammed her locker door and headed out of school followed by Rapunzel and Merida. They had both finished for the day; Rapunzel had her French exam at the same time of Elsa's exam and Merida had no exams; she had come into school so that she could study and be away from her three brothers who just interrupted her constant desire for quiet.

Elsa's last exam came and went. When she walked out of her last exam, she had a mixed feeling of emotions. She was glad that she had finished her exams but at the same time, she was feeling scared to enter the new stage of her life. What was to come next all rested on what she could do; whether or not she could pull off leaving Arendelle. That was in the hands of fate.

Elsa spent the next several weeks pacing up and down her bedroom. She was nervous about her grades. She knew she had a spot at the University of Arendelle or Oxford if she wanted that. But she needed good grades to get out of Arendelle. She wasn't studying hard because her father wanted someone with an impressive academic record to run his company; she was studying so other universities would want her. Elsa constantly checked her account on the school's website practically every thirty seconds to check her grades. She also checked her text messages or texting everyone she knew to see if anyone else got their grades so the minute they knew that grades were up, she would know too.

Finally on a sunny day in early August, she finally knew. She had slept in a little later than she planned, so when she woke up and saw the time; she instantly raced to her laptop to open it up to check her grades. That was what she did every morning. The first thing she did was to see if her grades had been posted. Elsa was impatient as her laptop turned on and even more impatient to get the website loaded. Finally she managed to get the page loaded and logged in to the site. She clicked on the link that said 'exam results' and clicked on the year in question. Her heart was hammering as she did this. That was when she saw it. She saw that they had been updated.

Elsa took a deep breath in and looked at her grades. It had taken a few moments of courage to get Elsa to look at them. This was the moment she had been waiting for and now it had come. Nerves set in. Her heart was hammering even harder. She thought that her heart would explode out of her chest. Elsa had closed her eyes to avoid looking at the grades straight away. Eventually, she opened her eyes and stared at the screen. Every single one of them had an A+ next to them. Elsa stared at them. She really had passed? With nearly full marks on each of them too? How was that possible? _How?_ She found the exams okay but she didn't think that they had been a walk in the park. Somehow she had done it. Elsa ran her fingers through her hair as she took deep breaths. She had done it. She had passed. Elsa had to keep pinching herself to make sure that this wasn't a dream. She had the grades to get into any university she desired. Her plan was coming together. She didn't think that was at all possible but somehow it had been so.

She instantly texted everyone one she could and she all got replies back. They all seemed pretty happy with their marks too. Rapunzel had the grades she wanted in the subjects she wanted as did Merida. They had done it. They had finished school in the way that they wanted it to be finished. This was amazing. Her bedroom door opened and her father walked in.

"Well?" he had been asking about her grades every single day. Elsa nodded and he came to look at her screen. A small smile came over his face. "That's what I want to see Elsa. Good, glad you didn't fuck this one up. I'm going to go call the Dean of Oxford and the Dean at the University of Arendelle. You have a place at either, I'll double check you do. I want you to decide by the end of next week where you want to go. Got it?"

Elsa could only nod. Her father left the room shortly after that. He was going to get her a place at a university where he could continue to torment her. She was never going to get his iron grip off her shoulder. In fact it was growing tighter and tighter every day. She was trapped and there was nothing she could do about it.

Elsa woke the next day with despair still running through her. The high of getting the marks that she had desired had disappeared the minute her father had come into the room rubbing his plans for her in her face. Elsa rolled over onto her side and looked out her bedroom window. There was a bird sitting on the tree that was just outside her window. The bird was singing which brought a smile to her face. The bird seemed so happy which just seemed to somehow fill her with even more unhappiness. But the way that the bird was singing and hopping along the branch got rid of that. Happiness soon filled Elsa's insides. The bird then took off from the branch it was standing on in one swift movement. The moment it did that, Elsa felt the smile disappear from her face and the unhappiness from before, sunk in again. She wished she was as free as that bird. It could simply fly away the moment it sensed danger. Elsa sighed before throwing the covers off her. It was time to collect the mail anyway as she did every morning.

She walked barefoot out of her room and to the front door. She opened it and headed out to the letterbox. There were a lot of letters today; the usual newspaper delivery, some bills for her father to pay and….a letter for Elsa? Elsa stared at it. It was from the University of Burgess which was in the States. So far every letter she had received from universities had declined her acceptance as they weren't accepting a lot of students this year and some said that Elsa had missed the cut off date. Elsa had been a late sending out applicants as she had to do it when she wouldn't get caught so therefore Elsa fell at the bottom of the list.

Elsa felt the letter in her fingertips. It felt so smooth. Could it really have what she wanted inside? Elsa was nervous to open it. This was the university she really wanted to go. It had the courses she wanted plus it was on the other side of the globe – away from her father and everything bad in this world. Elsa headed back inside her house and sat down at the kitchen table. She threw the bills and the newspaper in front of her father's seat at the table before she sat down at her seat. She turned the letter over hands a few more times. Flashes of what could be her life went through her head. She would for the first time not have some overbearing figure staring down at her. The iron grip on her shoulder would finally be loosened. She would be doing the things that she wanted to do in life and not the things that her father wanted her to do. It all seemed like a pipe dream to her but could it turn into something more…real?

Elsa heard sounds coming from upstairs. She quickly stuffed the letter into her pyjamas to hide it from her father. If he saw it, she would face his wrath which was something she didn't want. She had hidden it just time. Her father's feet appeared on the stairs and soon the rest of him came into sight. He sat down at his seat at table and started to open up the bills.

"No breakfast?" her father asked her.

"I thought you were going out for breakfast with that friend you play golf with," Elsa said nervously. She was panicking that she had gotten the dates wrong.

"Good, glad you can remember something," her father said.

Elsa internally sighed. It was just a test – thank god. Elsa pushed herself away from the table and headed up to her room to get away from her father so that she could open the letter in private. Once Elsa shut the door carefully, she sat down at her desk. She looked at the letter grasped in her trembling hands.

Okay Elsa, she told herself, just open it and read it. But she just sat there for several minutes without even moving. She was just too nervous to even blink or take a breath. The thought that she might not have gotten in still haunted her. Eventually after several long tedious minutes, Elsa decided that it was time to open the envelope. She took a deep breath before she opened the letter.

"Dear Miss Winters," Elsa read out loud, "we are pleased to inform you that you have been _accepted_." Elsa finished at that word. She ran her fingers through her hair. She had been accepted. _She had been accepted!_ Elsa skimmed read over the rest of the page. It was just informing her of important dates such as ordination week, start of semester, that kind of thing. There was also important information such as her student ID information – which allowed her to access the university's website so that she could enrol and would be necessary for handing in assignments, tests and exams – and a password to go along with it. Enclosed was also a map of the campus.

Elsa looked at the second page of the letter. She had applied to the universities halls and she hoped that she had gotten in as well. She didn't think she could make rent. Elsa carefully read the rest of the letter. She almost couldn't believe it when she read the words on the page. It said that she had gotten into the John Sparks dorm – who John Sparks was, she didn't care, maybe he was some important student or someone who had invested a lot of money to the university. But that didn't matter to her at all. She didn't know anything about the John Sparks dorm but she loved it already. She checked the map. It told her that the John Sparks dorm was right next to the law building which was good for her. She had applied for a law degree majoring in family law and a science degree majoring in child psychology. She had told people that she wanted to do law but she never told people why. She wanted to help children who are victims of child abuse – like her. She wanted to make sure that another child didn't go through the same thing she is going through. Doing family law would allow this. Elsa had seen a lot of courses that dealt with family abuse when she looked through the courses on the website. She was planning on taking all of them. But first, she had to go through and taste the other parts of law first. The same was true about psychology. But she would get to where she wanted to be soon enough.

Elsa had to read through the letter several more times. This didn't feel real somehow. She stared out her window as her brain tried to accept that she did get into the university that she really wanted to get into and that she got a dorm room there. Elsa looked back at the letter. The letter told her to accept her position online Elsa quickly opened her laptop and pulled up the university's website. She logged in and started writing her profile. After a few minutes, she decided to start enrolling. She spent the next three hours deciding what courses she should take. She eventually decided on what she wanted to do and enrolled in those courses. She had forgotten not only about breakfast but lunch too. Somehow eating didn't seem like a necessary at this moment. She was too excited to eat anyway.

Elsa pulled back from her desk with a big grin on her face. She was going to the University of Burgess. She was going to get out of here. The next step was booking her flights and making sure that everything was ready to go. Elsa was about to open up some travel websites when she heard her father yelling for her. Elsa didn't want to go but she decided it was for the best. She didn't want to have a beating tonight. She got up from her seat and headed in the direction of where her father was yelling; his study. Elsa knocked and entered the room. She found him sitting behind his desk with a smug look on his face.

"It's all set up," he said.

"What is?" Elsa asked.

"Your university degree," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "A thank you would be nice. You know when I was going to university; I didn't have a nice caring father to do this for me. So a little thanks would be the right thing to say."

"Oh right," Elsa said. "Thanks dad, you're one hundred percent right. Thank you for helping me out."

"That's better," he glared at her for a few moments before he went back to his smug expression. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. I have gotten you into the courses that _I_ believe you should be doing. Since you will be running a business company, I have enrolled you in a commerce degree and since you like the idea of law – which I also like as it will be useful to have a lawyer running the business as if any legal action happens to take place, you will be able to deal with that."

"Oh," Elsa said. She didn't know what to say. She didn't like the idea of her father choosing her pathway for her. Well at least there were worst options he could have picked for her. She didn't exactly want to go into her father's business. She wanted to help people who have gone through what she has been going through. If she couldn't pull off her plan, then what her father wanted will rule her life. "Thank you, that sounds perfect."

"I know," her father said, smugly. "That's why I chose it. Now, you have been accepted into both Oxford and the University of Arendelle, so like I said, you have until the end of next week to decide."

"Yes father," Elsa nodded.

"Now go," he said. "You have chores to do."

Elsa quickly left her father's office and headed to the laundry to do the washing. Elsa didn't mind doing the chores. It gave her an excuse to be away from her father and doing them had slowly become ingrained in her routine. She had a smile on her face as she brought in the washing, ironed it, folded it and put away. Her father could plan her future all he wants but she had her own plans and they were going to be put into place. He wasn't going to stop her now. She was leaving and there was nothing he could do about it.

Well that's what she thought. Little did she realise how wrong she could be.

One week later, Elsa was still looking for flights. She wanted to go when her father was away on business. Since her father asks her to clean his office for her, she took the opportunity to look through his planner. She didn't get a chance until a couple of days ago. He had told her he was going out and he needed his office tidy by the time he got home. Elsa obliged. As she was tidying, she searched for his planner. He usually kept it on his desk but he must have moved it as it wasn't there when she looked. Her heart was hammering as she searched the office. She even made it messier during her search which was not good. She didn't know how much time she had. She didn't dare disobey her father.

Elsa had eventually found his planner and discovered that he was leaving in a couple of weeks for Germany – apparently he needed to sort out a takeover there. After a few moments of searching through it, she realised that she needed to do what her father had asked her to do. Elsa quickly tided her father's office so that it looked brand new. She had done it just in time. Literally five minutes later, her father came home. She was luckily not still in the office as he would have yelled "What are you still doing here" but he just went on with what he was doing.

So that is why Elsa was looking at flights during those two weeks. Flights would be expensive as they would be last minute flights. For two nights, Elsa couldn't find anything. This was making her nervous. If she couldn't find anything soon, she would be going to the University of Arendelle or Oxford and she didn't have a clue where she wanted to go. Oxford would get her away from Arendelle but she would still have someone breathing down her neck. The Dean went to university with her father and Elsa had a sinking feeling that he would work her just as hard as her father does. On the other hand, if she stayed in Arendelle, she would have her father looming over her for the rest of her life but she would be able to be with all her friends and be in familiar surroundings. So Oxford or Arendelle? Pros and cons for both but which one was better? Elsa didn't know.

On the second night, Elsa had been invited out to drinks with Rapunzel and Merida. They had wanted a night out to celebrate them being accepted into the University of Arendelle – they had found out only that day. So that night she made her way to The Drunken Scandinavian – Rapunzel's favourite bar – in order to meet Rapunzel and Merida. She walked into the bar and found them drinking shots by the bar.

"Come here Elsa," the both of them said when they saw her.

Elsa smiled at them and headed over to them. She ordered herself a red wine to drink. It came within a few minutes and Elsa sipped it happily.

"I can't believe in just a few months, we will be going to university," squealed Rapunzel.

"Yeah," Merida said as she sipped her cocktail, "it feels unreal somehow."

"Did you decide where you want to go Elsa?" Rapunzel said. "I know your dad is pressuring you to go to Oxford like he did."

"He either wants me to stay and go to university here or go to Oxford," Elsa said.

"That didn't answer my question Elsa," Rapunzel laughed.

"I know," Elsa laughed before she shrugged. "Truth be told, I don't know,"

"Please stay," Rapunzel said. "Don't go to Oxford, stay here with us."

Elsa laughed. "I don't know. Oxford is a good university. It would look good on the CV."

"It would," agreed Merida.

Elsa laughed again. The rest of the night passed with some more drinking and some dancing. About halfway through their evening, three boys came up to them asking if they wanted to dance.

"Of course," Rapunzel said.

"You have a boyfriend," Elsa said rolling her eyes.

"But we're single," Merida said smiling widely.

Two of the boys looked pleased to hear this. Elsa thought that maybe she should go home but she decided that one dance won't hurt anything. So she accepted the boy's offer for a dance. However, one dance turned into three and before Elsa knew it, she was an hour late for curfew. Elsa was panicking the entire drive home. She only had a couple of drinks over the night so she decided to drive home instead of waiting for the bus which could take ages to get to her stop. She was slightly breaking the speed limit on her way home but she needed to.

She almost burst through the front door in her panic but she managed to restrain herself. The first thing she saw when she entered was her father standing by the fireplace. He was standing with his hands held tightly behind his back. There was a look on his face that Elsa had seen way too often. It was a look of pure rage. He couldn't be mad about her being late, could he? She had asked if she could hang out and he was so smug about him managing to plan her future down to the very last detail so he said she could stay out to midnight. It was only twenty past midnight. So was he mad about that? Her father was quite firm on curfews. So that was why Elsa thought he was angry about her being late.

"Sorry I'm late," Elsa said. "I lost track of time."

"Get over here," he said simply.

Elsa felt like this was so much more than just being twenty minutes late. Elsa hesitantly stepped forward. She was starting to shake. What could he be mad about? With him, it could be a hundred different things.

"I needed your help with something tonight," her father started. "I knew you were out but it was quite late and I thought you were home so I decided to check to see if you were in your room. You obviously weren't but what I found instead astounded me even further." He picked up something that was on the coffee table. He flashed it front of her. Elsa felt her heart sink. The thing he was holding was her acceptance letter from The University of Burgess. He had found it. "Then I decided to check your laptop," her father continued. He placed the letter back onto the table. "I had found that you had enrolled in courses there as well applied in a residency hall. Then I dug a little deeper and discovered that you had started looking at flights."

His voice was steady but it was full of rage. Elsa took a step backwards. He was walking towards her. He had found out the truth about everything. How could she have been so stupid? Why didn't she tuck it away out of sight? Her father would have just walked in, taken a look around before leaving. He would never have found the letter or the flight plans or her plans to move over there. Her plan was self-destructing in front of her right now.

"Say something!" her father yelled at her. "I want an explanation now."

"Er," Elsa replied. What could she say? She wanted out because she wanted to not be his daughter – yeah she couldn't say that.

"You fucking bitch," he yelled at her while whipping his hand across her face. The force of it caused her to fall to the ground. She fell down hard. "How dare you do this? _I_ am the one who decides where you are going – not you! _You_ are going to run our family's business. _You_ are not jet set across the globe going after some stupid dream."

Elsa didn't dare to speak. She was afraid that she was going to say the wrong thing – with her father, anything could be the wrong thing. Elsa could feel fear settle within her. It was a fear she had never experienced before. There was something different about her father tonight. This rage was beyond all rage she had seen before. Elsa felt like her life could be in danger tonight.

"Well aren't you going to fucking say anything?" he screamed at her. He picked her up and held her tightly at her upper arms. "No, fuck that. Don't you dare say anything. You don't deserve the life I have provided for you. I have given you every fucking single advantage in life and you throw it away. First there was the whole thing with Hans and now this. I fucking taught you better you cunt."

He grabbed her by the neck and started to squeeze hard. Elsa felt tears come to her eyes. She couldn't breathe – she was chocking for air. Her vison was starting to go dark. Elsa's fear was getting worse now. It was consuming her. Somewhere deep inside of her, Elsa eventually managed to find some strength and she used it to kick her father – hard – in his groin. He let out a gasp of pain and his hands released Elsa. She fell to the ground and she struggled to get to her feet. She needed to get out of here before he did something to her – before it was too late.

"You fucking bitch," he shouted.

Elsa raced to the door. She didn't even look behind her – she knew he was there; chasing her. She had to get out of her house. She had to run and never look back. If he stayed then she could be nothing but a body on the ground with her father standing over it. Elsa struggled with the front door. Come on, she thought. Somehow her fingers weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing. Panic was making it hard for her to think straight and to focus. She was trying to open it quickly but it was of no use. Just as she managed to hear the click of the door opening, her father grabbed her from behind. Her fingers stretched out for the door handle but her arms weren't long enough. Her father threw her to the ground and her head smashed against the couch. Thankfully the couch was soft and not hard but it still hurt. Elsa felt tears come to her eyes and her vison went a bit blurry. She blinked several times hoping to clear it.

She watched as her father picked up a letter opener on the coffee table. Was this it? Had her moment finally come? He stepped over her so that he would be blocking the front door. He didn't want her escaping. He wanted to deal with her here and now.

"You," he said wheezing slightly – he was still recovering from that blow that Elsa had given him – as he pointed the letter opener at her. Elsa's eyes fell to the point of the letter opener. It was sharp. "How dare you. I did everything for you and this is how you repay me? Well I am going to show you that nobody makes a mockery of Agdar Winters."

He slashed at her with the letter opener. Elsa dodged just it in time. The blade went down the couch – creating a tear as it did – and caught her shirt which caused it to rip slightly. It didn't find its way to her skin and so no blood could be seen. Elsa quickly got to her feet and ran in the direction of the stairs with her father right behind her. If this was the end for her, she wanted it to be on her terms instead of on his. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being the one to do it. She had wanted to do this for a very long time now. The thought that she wasn't going escape her tortuous life was enough for her to see that she wanted to reach the light on the other side instead of being stuck in the darkness on earth. Elsa's feet soon found the stairs and she clambered up them.

"Elsa!" she heard her father yell at her. She could hear her father right behind her – he was just a few seconds behind. He would soon catch up with her if she wasn't quick enough and she didn't want that happening.

Elsa's long blonde hair – out of its usual braid – was whipping along behind her as she ran. She soon found her father's bedroom and quickly opened the door, shutting it behind. She placed a chair in front of it as to barricade herself into the room. She would need some time to do what she needed to do. She found her father's safe and quickly opened it. She had known the combination for years now and her father never knew that she knew. Once she heard a click, she swiftly opened it. Inside was a .22 semi-automatic pistol.

Elsa's fingers trembled as she picked it up. The razor would be too slow for her. There was time for her father to finish what he had started. The pistol would end things instantly. The door handled then turned several times in hurried motion as her father was attempting to get into the room. She looked up to the door. If she was going to do this she needed to do this now. Elsa shakenly held the gun up to her temple. It was always kept fully loaded. Her father feared any intruder.

"Elsa!" her father yelled. "What are you doing in there?"

She felt a thud echoed around the room as her father tackled the door.

"Elsa!" he screamed.

She looked away from the door. The last thing she was going to see was not going to be her father trying to break into the room. The last thing she wanted to see was something other than her father's torment.

"Sorry Anna," Elsa whispered as tears streamed down her face. She wished that there was another way but there wasn't. Anna would find out the truth – she was bound to anyway. Best it be when Elsa couldn't see the hurt expression on her face. She had tried to survive for Anna but she couldn't. She just couldn't do this anymore. Anna deserved a life free from her. She didn't need her older sister's troubled pain in it.

Elsa closed her eyes and her fingers tightened on the trigger as her fear set in even deeper. However, something about it being the end at last somehow calmed her and let the fear escape her. She was about to press down with her finger when the door burst open. The gun dropped to her side as she saw her father come into the room. Elsa didn't know what it was – whether it was instinct or not – but she pointed the gun at her father. Elsa could feel the blood pounding in her ears. What was she doing? She wasn't supposed to be pointing it at him but if she didn't, he would do it himself and she did not want that. One of them was not going to see the next day. Her fear returned when she saw him.

The moment he saw the gun in her hand, he sneered at it. It was almost as if he was daring her to do it. Elsa's hands were shaking. She steadied them. All she had to do was focus on her goal.

"What are you going to do Elsa?" he scoffed at her.

"Get back," for the first time that night, Elsa felt her voice strengthened. There was a cold gaze in her eyes. Her hands tightened around the handle. She needed to protect herself from him and if threatening him with a gun did that, then so be it. Maybe it would give her some time to rebuild up her courage to point the gun back at her and end it all for her.

"What are you going to do?" he said. "Kill your own father?" he took a step towards her. The sneer never left his face. "You haven't got the guts you little whore."

Elsa didn't know what it was. Something just exploded in her. All the years of his torment and abuse just took over her in that one moment. It was him or her and she didn't want him to have the satisfaction of it being her. All the fear from before somehow turned to strength in this one moment and it was enough fear for her to face her demons and stare them down to destroy them. Elsa's fingers tightened around the trigger – and she pulled. There was a bang as a bullet exploded from the barrel of the gun. She had fired at her father.

Everything in that one moment seemed to go in slow motion; from the firing of the bullet to the bullet hitting her father. The bullet travelled through the air and made its way to her father. His eyes bulged as the bullet entered his chest. A dark red stain started to make its way across his shirt as blood protruded from the open wound in his chest. He looked down at in shock. Maybe he thought that she wouldn't do it but she had caught him by surprise. He collapsed down to his knees. He looked up at her. There was something in his eyes – was it fear?

"You little bitch," he whispered before he finally collapsed onto his bedroom floor. Blood poured out from his chest and it drenched the floor all around him.

He was dead.

 **A/N: First off, Elsa's father is now dead. What will happen now with Elsa? Will she make it to Burgess? Or will she face another set of demons? So this chapter was supposed to be a part of the previous but I cut them due to length wise which is why this is updated very quickly. There may not be another chapter for a while due my workload being stupid. So sorry about that. I will update when I can but the next story I will want to update next will be Thirst so this story will have wait for updates. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest (Banana): I have explained in previous A/Ns that Jack will come probably in a couple of chapters. There is just a lot of things I needed to have done before he could make an appearance. I know that everyone is eager for him to arrive and so am I. It will just take some doing beforehand.**

 **ZERO-xxx: For Jack, I do have a intro planned (I was always going to introduce him in this way - it's going to be based off a small Friends moment) but yeah, you're right. Do what feels natural and don't force yourself to do what others want. Sometimes if it fits, I will preform requests in my story. Oh I am not rushing with Jack - in fact the opposite. When I planned this story, he was supposed to be in by chapter 3 or 4 but it looks like he won't be until chapter 9 as I ended up stretching this story out. I am not going to cave to reader's pressure - I just had a lot of stuff I need to get done first like the end of this chapter but yeah, it's hard not to just combine things and get Jack into the story, I do really want him in the story soon. But Jack is going to wait. Anyway, thanks! I probably will end up taking my time. I do want this story to be good.**

 **Serenity'sAdvocate: Thanks so much! Also, I wouldn't say that Elsa is very hopeful.**

 **sanaa11: Thanks! I thought it was - just the darkness and tone of the story made my head think it could be taken the other way. Jack is a little bit away but he will be Elsa's saving grace.**

 **Hot Damn: Thanks so much! Also Jack's going to be a little bit longer - hold on please! Thanks, I need all the luck I can get with my university work.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! Hmm, I don't think Anna does know. Besides it would be a bit of a jump to go to abuse as Anna has never seen any evidence of it.**

 **Guest (MixyBell): No problem for updating - it's my pleasure really. You're allowed to skip your final exams? That is not fair. I have to take my final exams if I want an A. I can't wait for Jack either - just a little bit more, please hold on!**


	8. Guilty Or Not Guilty

**Chapter 8: Guilty Or Not Guilty**

The gun slipped from Elsa's hand and it clattered to the floor. Elsa was panting quite hard as she looked down at the scene before her. Her father was face down on the floor in a pile of blood – his blood. He didn't get back up – he didn't even move. Elsa felt a smile come over her face. That bastard was gone. She didn't have to deal with him anymore. _She no longer had to deal with him anymore!_ She felt like she could do a little jig right there and then or getting out a bottle of champagne and celebrating.

Then suddenly the full realisation of what just happened hit her and it hit her hard. She had killed her father. It wasn't as if it was some accident; she had shot him in cold blood. Sure, he was probably about to kill her himself but nobody would buy that. Everyone would see that she shot him. Sure, she could tell the truth. She could finally tell people what had been happening in the Winters' household for twelve years but who would believe her? Her father had covered his tracks well. There was no documentation of abuse. No concerns were ever raised at school. Her doctor would deny it as it would cost him his license. Nobody would ever believe her.

That thought terrified her. There was no one she could turn to. Elsa felt panic start to erupt in her. What was she going to do? Could she simply get rid of the body? Elsa looked down at the body of her father. There was no way she could carry all that dead weight herself. She would need help but again – who would help her? Who would help her to cover up the murder of her father? Besides, what would she tell people? That he had gone on a business trip and never returned? They would see through that in a minute – there would be no flights charged to his credit cards, no witness who could say that he was at the airport, no flights planned for this week. Could she say he went out and never came back? She could drive the car and abandon it but then her DNA would be found in the car. Besides, the original problem still remained; how the fuck would she be able to move all that dead weight? Cleaning wouldn't help either – one spray of luminol and all her lies would be revealed.

Maybe she could go for a walk – get an alibi – and come back to discover her father's been murdered? Well that would normally be good if her fingerprints weren't all over the gun and the blood splatter on her clothes. There just wasn't anything she could do. She had to think fast. If she didn't, there would be a problem with time of death. The police could question why she waited so long before calling them. Then a lightbulb went off. She had an idea. She would simply say it was an accident – not the kind when she was simply cleaning the gun and it went off. She had a plan in motion.

She left the bedroom and headed downstairs. She needed to act fast. She found one of her father's used glasses on the kitchen bench. She dropped it and let the glass shatter all over the floor. She would use that later. Then she opened the front door. She was going to make it look like her father was a fake intruder. There was no way she could pin this on someone else. She was going to have to take the fall for it but if her plan succeeded, she would be cleared. Elsa breathed hard. She was going to have to play the scared daughter. Elsa picked up the phone and called the police. It was time for the biggest performance of her life. If she didn't play this part well, the police would see right through it and then question her story. That was something she didn't want.

Her call was answered almost immediately.

 _"_ _Emergency services – how may I help?"_

"It's my dad," Elsa cried through fake tears. She pretended to be in distress and hurried her talking pace. She just hoped to god that this sounded believable. "He's been shot – the gun – it all just happened so fast."

 _"_ _Sweetie, calm down. I need to know your name."_

"Elsa Winters," Elsa replied. She then gave her address.

 _"_ _Okay honey, the police have been notified."_

"Thank you," Elsa said.

 _"_ _Stay on the line. Is your dad breathing?"_

"No," Elsa pretended to wail. "I think he's dead."

 _"_ _Can you preform CPR?"_

"Yes," Elsa quickly hurried back upstairs and back into the bedroom. She turned him over and she stared into his blank eyes. There was no life in them. She started to perform CPR (she had a few health lessons on it a couple of years ago) on her father despite him probably being long gone – well that was what she hoped. If he suddenly came to, all her efforts were for nothing. As Elsa was pretending to try and save her father's life, his blood got all over hands, shirt and pants. Maybe that could cover up the blood splatter but even so; there was the small matter of the gun. She could try and get rid of it but somehow she didn't think she could get away with this. She should stick to her original plan.

"Nothing," Elsa pretended to wail into the phone.

 _"_ _Hold on, the police are on their way."_

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Elsa saw flashing blue and red lights appear outside. Elsa went through her lie in her head. She tried not to make it too detailed. If she did, she may end up contradicting herself later. She soon heard footsteps appear in the hallway.

"Up here," Elsa screamed.

There were now hurried footsteps and a couple of men in blue burst into the room that Elsa was in. They found Elsa trying to get her dead father come back from the dead in front of them. Elsa pretended to wail and scream as one of the officers escorted her downstairs. There she found Chief Constable Aland. Normally she would be very surprised to see him here but he and her father were best friends – they went to school together. Elsa knew that her father was responsible for getting him the top spot at the Arendelle Police Force. So it was only natural that he would turn up for a shooting incident at the Winters' household which would normally be a very mundane thing for the top dog at the Arendelle Police to show up to.

"Elsa, honey," Aland helped her to a seat and crouched in front of her. Aland knew her well. He had been around since she was born. He had sometimes been more of a father to her than her real father. "What happened?" He looked at her with concern all over her face.

"I was home alone," Elsa pretended to cry through fake sobs. "I thought dad had gone out. He had said something about going to get ice cream for desert."

"Then what?" Aland asked in a kind voice.

"I was up in my bedroom, reading," she continued. "I heard what sounded like breaking glass so I walked downstairs to investigate. I called out but no one answered. I found the front door open and I panicked. I thought there was someone in the house – there have been a string of burglaries in the area."

"Yes there have been," Aland said quietly. At least Elsa didn't have to make up _that_ bit. The next door neighbour had been robbed just a month earlier.

"So I rushed to my father's room to grab the gun in his safe. I could hear what sounded like multiple people on the stairs. I saw the door handle turn. I didn't know it was dad. I thought it was the burglar coming to murder me."

Elsa dissolved into fake wails. She threw herself onto Aland's lap who patted her gently. He seemed to sympathise with her. Elsa had no idea that her plan was working. Surely, there would be some kind of suspicion although Elsa's hatred of her father wasn't known at all. So there was something that was working for her.

"It's okay Elsa," Aland said. "It was just an unfortunate accident." Elsa raised her head slightly to look into his face. "Let's go back to the station while they work here. You don't want to be around for that."

Elsa shook her head. "No," she said trying to contain her fake sobs.

"Alright," Aland helped her to her feet. "We'll go down to the station where you can give your statement, okay?" Elsa nodded at this. He turned to another officer. "Munter, why don't you grab some clothes for Elsa?"

"Sure thing," Munter said through her smiling teeth.

"Thanks," Aland said.

Aland helped Elsa through the doors of her house and into the street beyond it. All that Elsa could see was the flashing lights of the police cars and the ambulance that had been called to help extract her father's body. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The car ride to the police station was a short one but it seemed much longer. Aland led Elsa into his office and closed the door. Elsa stayed quiet to appear as if she was in shock from it all. Aland made her a cup of tea and placed in her trembling hands. They weren't trembling because of grief; they were trembling because she was feeling very guilty. Elsa just hoped she wasn't over doing anything.

If they cottoned onto her, then Elsa could be charged with her father's murder. What would be her defence? That she did it to protect herself? The prosecution would have a field day with that. Elsa just had to stick with her story of it being an accident and not think about how she murdered her father – no, she didn't murder him, it was self-defence. He was attacking her and she shot him to protect herself. Was that then murder?

Aland brought up the fact that if wanted a lawyer present, she was entitled to have one present. Elsa nodded slowly as she knew that is what should do. They waited a few moments before Elsa's family lawyer came. His name was Pieter Christeson and he was very good lawyer – he certainly earned his pay check. Christeson quickly got up to speed with the night's events. He didn't look very happy with his best client being found dead but he agreed to help Elsa out. He believed her story straight away. Why wouldn't he? He had no idea what really went on in his client's house.

Aland took her down to one of the interview rooms while Elsa carefully balanced her tea. She hadn't drunk a lot of it. She was too nervous to eat or drink. Aland sat down while Elsa and Christeson sat down opposite him. He told them that the interview was being videotaped for court purposes. Christeson didn't object which Elsa took as a good thing. Aland started the video camera. Elsa felt like the red light was judging her – like it knew the truth. Elsa wrenched her eyes from it and focused on Aland instead.

"So take me through the story one more time," Aland said. Elsa quickly looked up. Could this be because he had seen through her lie? "You say that you were home alone?"

"I _thought_ I was home alone," Elsa said. She just had to be consistent with her story. Nobody would be any of the wiser then. Besides, who could think that the meek and shy Elsa Winters was capable of murder?

"That's right," Aland said as Elsa took a sip of her tea. "So you thought you were alone and you started to hear things?"

"I know it's silly," Elsa pretended to smile a little, "but when you're home alone, you start to hear things – imagine things."

"Oh I know about that," Aland said. "My own daughter is afraid to stay by herself as she believes that there is someone else in the house when she is and she's twenty two." Elsa gave a small laugh. "So, what kind of things did you hear?"

"Breaking glass, the door opening, footsteps," Elsa said. "I got really nervous."

"Understandable," Aland said. "So what made you think it was an intruder and not your father?"

"Because I called out for my dad and there was no answer," Elsa started to sweat. Was Aland questioning her story now? She had thought he had been buying it before but was now a different story? She turned to Christeson who was busy writing things down. He didn't look too worried which gave Elsa some heart.

"Yes," that was all that Aland said. "Then take me through the shooting. You raced up for your father's gun? How did you know it was there?"

"The entire household does," this time Elsa wasn't lying. "He didn't exactly keep it a secret from anyone."

"How did you know the code to the safe?"

"Dad once asked me to put away stuff in his safe. He gave me the combination then."

"Ah I see," Aland said. "So you raced into your father's room, found the gun as you were scared there was someone in the house. Is that right?" Elsa nodded. She didn't dare to speak. "Then the door opened and your father walked in?"

"Well that's the gist," Elsa said. "The door handle rattled a bit before it was opened. I didn't even look at who was coming in. I fumbled with the gun to get it ready and I just then turned and shot whoever it was. I wasn't even thinking. It was just one big blur."

"Okay," Aland said. "Then what?"

"I panicked," Elsa said. This bit was true. Elsa _had_ been panicking, not because she accidently shot her father but because she didn't know what to do with her father's body. "I couldn't believe what I had done. I checked to see if he was still breathing. He wasn't and that's when I called the ambulance."

"This all seems consistent with what you said back at the mansion," Aland said. "I'm just going to go check on the investigation and see how it's going." Elsa nodded as Aland stood up. He brought out some paper and a pen and told Elsa to write a statement.

Elsa took the pen with shaking fingers and started to write out what she told Aland. She made sure not to include any further detail. She didn't want to overdo it. Christeson observed as Elsa wrote out her statement.

"Now Miss Winters," Christeson said and Elsa looked up from her paper, "I don't care what really did happen. I don't care if this is murder or an accident. My job is to defend you, not to judge you. Playing the self-defence card is a good defence. I don't want you to stray from your story. Adding or subtracting anything from what you have told the police can be suicidal to your defence. Understand?" Elsa nodded. "Good," Christeson nodded too. "Now let's go over your testimony."

"Testimony?" Elsa whispered.

"Yes," Christeson said. "I doubt the prosecution will not take this case. Your father was a powerful man. Everyone loved him and they will want someone to blame and that person is unfortunately you. They may be believe that you are a murderer for you but all you have to do is stick to your story – the one you have told here today – and everything will be fine. Okay?"

"Ye-yes," Elsa stammered. Court? Well she saw this coming from a mile away. She had been secretly hoping that court would have been avoided; that the police wouldn't charge her and let her leave. She would have said her little story, everyone would buy it and she would then melt out of sight. Well, maybe that last bit will have to wait.

Aland came back into the room just as Elsa was signing her statement. He picked it up and read through it. He looked pleased with what he read.

"I phone your sister's school," he said. "She should be here soon."

Anna, the word radiated through her brain. She had forgotten about her sister. What would she make of all of this? Would she believe her story or call her a murderer? Elsa started to sweat a little. Elsa rubbed her sweaty palms against her bloody clothes.

"Let's get you out of those bloody clothes," Aland said noticing that Elsa was still wearing some bloody clothes, "and into some fresh ones."

Elsa could only nod. She stood up with Christeson standing up next to her. It was all in the hands of fate now. She had told her story in the most believable way she knew how. It was time to see if it worked.

* * *

Anna awoke rather suddenly by someone shaking her awake. Anna looked up and saw one of the perfects over her. Anna wasn't sure which one it was nor did she even care.

"What's the time?" Anna said groggily as she checked her clock. It was only half past seven. It was a Saturday and being woken early (which Anna defined as anything earlier than one in the afternoon) wasn't something that Anna liked. She considered it to be a crime.

"Headmistress wants to see you," the prefect said.

Anna sat up. "What?" she whispered.

The Headmistress wants to see her? But why? Anna cast her mind around for a possible reason. She hadn't done anything to warrant being sent to her office, had she? Anna thought that maybe her father had called about something – maybe Elsa had finally told him the truth about Hans. Elsa knew that Anna was still in contact with him. She could have told their father about it at last.

"She doesn't like to be kept waiting, now move," the prefect said. She threw Anna's dressing gown onto Anna's bed. Anna picked it up, feeling rather nervous as she did. "She said it was important."

Anna threw on her dressing gown and placed her feet into her bunny slippers. Anna followed the prefect down the many corridors of her school until they came to Headmistress Stjerne's office. The prefect knocked and then opened the door.

"Anna Winters for you," the prefect said.

"Thank you Hilda," Headmistress Stjerne said.

Hilda stepped backwards and allowed Anna to enter the room. Anna took a seat in front of Headmistress Stjerne. She was still trembling. Anna couldn't think of a possible reason why she was summoned to see her.

"Anna," when Headmistress Stjerne spoke, it wasn't in her usual strict tone but in a kind one. This took Anna completely by surprise. She wasn't use to this tone from the headmistress. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." Bad news? Anna didn't like the sound of that one bit. What could have happened? Had something happened to her dad or to Elsa? Anna was starting to think that was where the conversation was going. "It concerns your family – your father and your sister." Anna was starting sweat even more. This wasn't sounding like something Anna wanted to hear. Headmistress Stjerne took a long pause and then sighed. "Your father was shot last night."

"What?" Anna said. Her mind went numb. Shot? "But he's alright, right?" Anna was talking very fast, almost feverishly. "Right?" she added again. Headmistress Stjerne didn't say anything. Instead she gave Anna a kind smile. Anna sunk into her seat. She knew what the look meant; her father didn't make it. No, this couldn't be happening. Her father couldn't be gone. Tears streamed down Anna's face. "How?" Anna somehow managed to say through her sobs.

"Your sister accidently shot him," Headmistress Stjerne said. Anna sat up straight. Her sister had done this? The sister who Anna thought that was one her side? Her sister had gone and taken a gun to their father's head? "But it was because she thought he was an intruder," Headmistress Stjerne quickly added. It seemed like Headmistress Stjerne knew what was going on in Anna's head. Anna didn't hear any of this. All Anna heard was that her sister shot her father.

Anna's entire body filled with rage at her sister. She had taken away the one person that Anna loved more than anything in this world. Anna could never forgive her for that.

* * *

Elsa was having the roughest time. The news that her father had been shot by her had spread like wildfire over Arendelle. Everyone seemed interested that one of the most powerful men in the world had been killed. Elsa was just glad that nobody saw her as a murderer. She had no idea why but people seemed to accept her story that it had been an accident. Of course it helped that everyone knew that Elsa was a sweet girl who wouldn't hurt a fly. Christeson was very pleased with this. He said it would help her image when this came to trial. Elsa just wanted it to be over and done with. She was sick of the whole affair. She hated lying but knew if she told the truth, nobody would believe her and she would be going to jail for murder.

Elsa had spent the night on a couch in the police station. She couldn't go home and she couldn't find the energy to leave. Rapunzel and Merida had come in first thing. They had heard about it from their parents. They didn't ask Elsa anything but instead, just gave her a hug. They seemed to accept her version of things and didn't question anything. The person Elsa was really worried about was Anna. Would she believe her? She was due anytime today. Aland has told Elsa that she was coming later today. Her school had granted her an extended leave.

Elsa's eyes fell on Aland who was talking to a few of his detectives. She wondered what they could be discussing; the detective was showing Aland some piece of paper which they both seemed very interested in. Elsa wondered if it was some kind of lab report like the testing on her clothes or some piece of evidence from the scene. Elsa couldn't think of some forensic evidence that would contradict her story. That's when Elsa heart sank – the glass on the floor of her kitchen. She had said in her statement that she had heard glass breaking and she had said that her father must have broken a glass in the kitchen. That glass would have both of their fingerprints on it. Maybe Elsa could explain that away saying that she gotten it out for her father or she had used it after her father somehow.

Elsa started getting panicky about other things like the blood smears on her clothes or her father's positioning when he died. Surely, the distance he travelled would indicate that Elsa knew who she was attacking? Elsa just hoped that the investigation wasn't going to reveal anything. All Elsa had to do was not look guilty. The minute she started behaving weirdly was the minute they would look at her as a suspect.

Aland brought her some lunch when the clock struck twelve. Elsa asked him how things were coming but he didn't say anything as it was "police business". Elsa didn't like the sound of that. Could he have found something that contradicted her story? Well Elsa already had come up with some things that could be found. What stopped the police finding them? Well maybe they won't dig any further. All Elsa could do was hope.

Elsa was resting on the couch – the same couch she hadn't moved from in the past fourteen hours – when she heard a commotion happening outside. Elsa wondered what it could be. The first thought she had was that it was Anna arriving. Sure enough, when Elsa looked up, she saw a familiar strawberry blonde hair making its way through the crowd of people. Aland was waiting for her outside his office. He opened his arms and Anna fell into them. Aland invited Anna into his office which she accepted. Another officer took Anna's luggage for her and headed out the door with them. Maybe he was going to take them to Anna's hotel. There was no way Anna was going to go home now.

Elsa watched the office door. She wondered what was being said. Aland would take Anna through what had happened and explain what was going to happen. Anna would cry and collapse in Aland's lap. Elsa was sure that was going down at this very moment. Well she hoped that was going on. Anna could be yelling and screaming accusation about her at Aland. The mere thought of that was enough to make Elsa sweat.

Elsa felt the minutes drag on and on. Elsa started to get thirsty so she left the little room she was in. She knew she should stay in there and out of sight but she would have to face Anna sometime. With all the police around, this could be a good or bad thing. If Anna _did_ shout something that sounded like an accusation then it could be taken seriously but if she did, Anna couldn't do much. Someone would pull her off, surely. Elsa's eyes moved slightly and spied on Rapunzel and Merida who were still at the police station. They were talking to their own parents. Merida was nodding about something. Elsa wondered what everyone was talking about. She felt like they all knew something and she didn't.

The rest of Elsa's family was also here. They had all seen Elsa and weren't too impressed with what she did although they did accept her story without question. They all knew that Elsa wasn't capable of murder. Elsa could see her Uncle Klaus talking to her grandmother about something. Maybe they were talking about Anna.

Elsa was at the water cooler when Aland's office door opened. Anna stepped out. Her face was red and puffy. Her eyes were filled with dread. Anna spotted Elsa standing only several metres away from her. Elsa tensed herself up. She was hoping that Anna was going to rush at her to give her a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Elsa wasn't prepared for what really did happen.

"You fucking murderer," Anna screamed as she raced at Elsa. Elsa was shocked to hear these words come out of her sister's mouth. Anna started to slap Elsa with everything she had. "You killed him, you fucking killed him! How could you?"

"Anna," Aland shouted but Anna kept attacking Elsa. Elsa had put her hands to defend herself but that didn't deter Anna one bit. She was using every little bit of strength she had to beat the crap out of Elsa. Aland wrapped his arms around Anna's waist and picked her up. She was still screaming and crying. Anna tried to resist Aland's grip but it was no use. Aland was much bigger and stronger than her. Her struggling was in vein. "Anna, calm down," Aland told her. "It was an accident."

"It was no fucking accident," Anna screeched through her tears. "She's lying! I know she is. She killed him!"

"Anna!" Aland said. "It was an accident."

"Liar!" Anna screamed at the top of her lungs.

Elsa took this opportunity to slowly slip away.

* * *

Aland sighed as he rested his knuckles on his desk. Being the Chief Constable – the top of the police food chain – his office was huge. There was a big mahogany desk which faced a large see-through door. Behind the desk was shelves filled with books and accolades. On his desk was piles and piles of cases but he was only interested in one; the Winters' case.

He sighed again as he opened it. Inside was the police report; the lab's findings, photographs of the scene, analysis of Elsa's clothes, analysis of the murder weapon. He picked up one of the photos. It was a photo of Adgar Winters lying on his front. His legs were straight but one of his arms was sprawled out in front of him while the other rested by his side. There was a large dark red stain around him which indicated how much blood had leaked out of him. Aland stared down at photo. Agdar Winters had been his friend for over thirty years. It was hard to think that he was gone. It didn't seem real. He was sure that Adgar was going to walk into his office like he always did.

Aland always imagined Agdar fighting his way to the end. Maybe heart problems or something. But he always imagined this forty or fifty years into the future, not today and especially not dying by being shot. It was further complicated by the fact that the shooter wasn't some punk who wanted money or someone out for revenge, it was his daughter; his eighteen year old daughter.

Aland didn't know what to think about all of this. He had Elsa's statement in front of him as well. He looked through it, carefully flicking through the pages. Nothing about her statement seemed off. The tests – which had been rushed through as Aland wanted the results as soon as possible – showed that she had in fact shot the gun, the blood spatter evidence matched her story of shooting him and then trying to resuscitate him, the call for the ambulance and time of death showed that Elsa called the police immediately. There was a glass that had shattered across the kitchen floor that had both Elsa's and Agdar's fingerprints on it which would account for the sound of breaking glass that Elsa heard. The door had been found open – it had been that way when they had arrived on the scene – which would freak anyone out if they had found it like that.

There wasn't anything that he could discover that could contradict Elsa's story. Aland believed her straight away when he heard her story. To him, Elsa wasn't the kind of girl to go randomly shoot her father. She didn't have a motive – money could be one but Agdar gave her everything she wanted. Elsa just panicked and acted without thinking. Everyone does it but this time it resulted in a death.

However something worried Aland. Anna had accused her older sister of being a murderer. She had screamed at her, hurt her even. Aland didn't understand where this rage was coming from. Everyone else understood that it had been an accident but not Anna. Did this mean that Anna knew something that Aland didn't? Perhaps there was a reason why Elsa would want to kill her father and Anna knew it. He didn't know what went on every minute in the Winters' household. Perhaps Anna had seen or heard something? Aland shook his head. He was being stupid. Anna was just grieving and lashing out. She needed someone to blame for this mess and she decided to choose her sister.

It was an accident. That was all.

* * *

 _A Few Weeks Later_

Elsa was walking through the halls of the Arendelle Courthouse. She was wearing a black blazer over a white blouse with a black pencil skirt, nude tights and black high heels. Elsa was told to look professional by her lawyer. She felt like she accomplished this. Her lawyer was dressed in a dark suit which matched his dark hair with a blue tie to bring out the blue in his eyes.

She had been charged in her father's murder. Apparently an arrest had to be made and so Aland had told her that she was under arrest. She posted bail the very next day. Christeson had told her that her case was just proceeding as more and more people believed Elsa's story. The shooting of her father had swept over the city overnight. The case had become a sensation. It was going to be followed by every person in Arendelle. That kind of publicity was putting so much pressure on her that she thought she would explode. Elsa didn't know how much more she could take but for now, she had to take it. So that was why Elsa found herself in the courthouse one day.

She then walked into the courtroom and she took her seat behind the defendant bench. Christeson took a seat next to her. He then poured them both some water. Elsa took a sip and looked up at the empty judge's seat. She was nervous. She was shaking so much that her water slipped out of the glass and onto the wooden bench. Christeson patted her shoulder and gave her a smile. He seemed confident about what was going to happen. That made Elsa feel a little bit better knowing that he seemed to think that things were going to go their way.

Elsa's eyes shifted sideways. A tall man wearing a light grey suit was standing behind the bench where the prosecution sat. He was trying to open his brief case which seemed to be a little stuck. He eventually managed to open it and pull out some folders that he placed neatly on the bench.

Elsa had met him before. He had introduced himself as Gerard Steenberg. Elsa didn't know what to make of the man. He seemed a little…too cocky for Elsa's liking but Christeson said that this should be an open and shut case. Most of the work was already done for them; the coroner had declared Adgar Winters' death to be an accident, the police hadn't found any contradictory evidence against Elsa's story and Christeson thought that Elsa would make a good witness on the stand.

Behind her was her family. When she swivelled in her seat she got kind smiles from her family except from one; her sister. Her sister was sitting cross legged and had her arms folded so tightly, Elsa was sure that the blood flow would be cut off soon. She was glaring at Elsa which made Elsa feel very comfortable. Elsa could almost feel tears coming to her eyes. She quickly turned away and started to sip some more water. It didn't help one bit; she still feel Anna's eyes burning through the back of her head.

"All rise," the bailiff said.

Elsa quickly got to her feet and the judge – Judge Jostad – walked to his seat and took a seat. He was another friend of Elsa's father. He really made the right friends. The judge told everyone to sit and they did.

"On one count of murder," the judge said to Elsa, "how do you plea?"

"Not guilty, your honour," Elsa said trying her best to sound convincing and not to stammer.

"Does the prosecution wish to proceed?" Judge Jostad asked Steenberg.

"Yes," Steenberg said. He looked down at his notes. "I call Chief Constable Edvard Aland to the stand."

A few moments later, Aland who was dressed in a very nice and respectable suit was sitting in the witnesses' booth. Elsa was sure that Aland was on her side. He believed her…right?

"Chief Constable, can you tell the court today what happened on the fourteenth of August?" Steenburg asked.

"We got a call around twelve forty three am, it was a distress call from the defendant," Aland answered. He repositioned himself to get more comfortable. "We arrived at the scene less than five minutes later, around twelve forty eight am. We found the door to be open and the defendant in her father's room trying to preform CPR on the victim who was later pronounced dead at the scene by the paramedics."

"Then what happened?"

"I took Miss Winters back to the police station to get her out of the house. There Miss Winters made her statement to the police."

"What did Miss Winter say did happen?"

"She said that was home alone and believed there was an intruder in the house so when she felt like someone was breaking into her father's bedroom, she turned and shot her father."

Out of the corner of Elsa's eye she could see Anna's fists clench at Aland's statement. She was still clearly in the same state of mind she had been in for the past few weeks. That hadn't budged an inch. Elsa turned back to the judge.

"Did you find any reason to doubt Miss Winters?" Steenberg asked with his back to Aland as he faced the court.

"No," Aland asked.

"What about Item J on page fourteen," Steengberg said holding a photograph that had been taken at the scene. "Which clearly shows that the victim had taken some steps into the room which means that Miss Winters waited to shoot him?"

Elsa started to squirm in her seat. She had been worrying about that. Elsa just hoped that this didn't faze Aland.

"Not necessarily," Aland said. As Elsa hoped, this didn't faze Aland. Aland was a pro at court. "Agdar was a tall guy. He could take large strides which means that by the time he entered, his one step could mean why he was in the bedroom rather than by the door."

"I see," Steenburg said. He twiddled a pen between his fingers. Elsa didn't like the look on his face. "Why was Miss Winters in her father's bedroom?"

"She was scared and she was heading to arm herself as she believed someone was in the house," Aland responded.

"Tell me Chief Constable, if she was so scared, why didn't she ever call the police to send help?"

Elsa's heart sank. That was something she was not expecting. Of course that was going to be discovered.

"Well maybe Miss Winters didn't have time to call the police," Aland said. "Maybe she was arming herself to go call the police."

"Perhaps," Steenberg said. He didn't seem to delve into it further. Elsa knew that he was letting the idea that Elsa may have shot her father fester in the brains of the jury's mind. He was being clever. Steenburg continued to ask questions about the lab reports and Aland discussed what they showed. Elsa didn't need Aland to tell them what they showed. She knew what they showed; that Elsa had shot and killed her father. The question was; did they believe that it had been self-defence or think that it was murder?

"Chief, did you find any evidence to contradict the proscution's theory that Miss Winters murdered her father?"

Aland shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "No," he finally said. This didn't make Elsa feel any better.

"That's all Chief Constable," Steenberg said after Aland had finished his part.

Steenberg sat back down and Christeson stood up.

"Chief Constable," Christeson said. "Did you find any evidence to contradict my client's statement that she had believed there was an intruder in the house?"

"No," Aland said. "Everything was consistent with what Miss Winters said happened that night."

"Did you find any evidence of a motive?"

"None," Aland said firmly. "There was the possible motive of money but Miss Winters was well provided for, had a decent income from her father and no evidence of any kind that she had been cut out of her father's will."

"Thank you Chief Constable," Christeson said. "That will be all."

Aland stepped off the witness stand only to be replaced by the coroner when she was called. Steenburg asked her about her findings when she performed the autopsy. The coroner confirmed that Agdar Winters died from a single bullet wound to the chest. She then described the pathway of the bullet which was consistent with someone Elsa's stature shooting at the victim. When Christeson had the opportunity to cross examine, he decided not to and so the coroner was allowed to step down. Other witnesses that were brought up were a couple of other officers who were at the scene, a couple of neighbours who heard the gunshot and…

"The prosecution calls Anna Winters to the stand," Steenburg said with a smirk.

Elsa sat up straight. Why would they be calling Anna? Elsa swivelled in her chair and stared at her sister who was refusing to look at her. Anna got out of her seat and headed up to the witness stand. Steenburg waited a few seconds before he addressed Anna. Those few seconds seemed to be the longest in her life.

"Miss Winters," he said, "what is your relationship to the defendant?"

"She is my sister," Anna said simply. There was no emotion in her voice.

"According to another officer's testimony," Steenburg said referring to one of the police officers who had taken the stand earlier, "your entire family is behind your sister."

"Was there a question in that counsel?" the judge asked.

"I'm getting there you're honour," Steenburg said. Elsa felt anger rise within her. Steenberg really was a slimy character. Her gaze was fixed, however, on her sister who was still stubbornly looking away from her. Anna was staring at Steenburg with a blank expressionless face. "Miss Winters, you were witnessed assaulting your sister when you found out the truth, why was that?"

"Because I believe she murdered my father," Anna said with anger coming to her voice. She was no longer able to keep an expressionless face. It contorted into something twisted.

"Why is that Miss Winters?" Steenberg said. "Why do you believe that when no one else in your own family does?"

"Because I know my sister," Anna said simply.

"Chief Constable Aland mentioned he couldn't find a motive," Steenburg said. "Can you provide one?"

"She was jealous of me," Anna said. Well Anna wasn't lying there, Elsa thought bitterly. Anna had everything that Elsa ever wanted; she had a life that wasn't tainted with hatred and abuse.

"How do you know this?"

"Because I could see it in her," Anna said. "She always hated me and so she decided to do the one thing to hurt me; she killed our father to take him away from me."

Elsa felt even more rage within her. How could her own sister think something like that?

"No more questions Miss Winters," Steenburg said.

Christeson stood up. "Miss Winters isn't it natural for siblings to not always have a perfect relationship?"

"I suppose," Anna shrugged.

"So really in fact, my client and yourself had a perfectly normal sibling relationship?" Christeson faced the jury.

"She sent me away," Anna said. "When I was about to start school, she made our father send me away to boarding school."

"Why do you think that was – if such a claim is true?"

"I overheard it."

"Miss Winters, we misinterpret a lot of things in our life, could you have simply misinterpreted what your sister was talking about?"

"No," Anna said firmly.

"Wasn't it a long time ago?"

"Well yes," Anna said. She seemed to struggle a bit. "Well maybe then."

"That will be all Miss Winters."

Anna stepped down from the witness stand.

"Prosecution rests," Steenberg said.

"Very well," the judge said. "We will resume tomorrow."

Elsa was glad to step out of the courtroom and into some fresh air. She and Christeson were standing outside the courthouse on a series of steps that led to the front door. The cool winter's air whipped around her but Elsa didn't even feel it. She had never been able to feel the cold although Elsa would give anything to feel it so that she could feel something other than anger.

"Don't worry," Christeson said. "That sounded a lot worse than it actually was. We haven't given our side yet."

Elsa nodded. At the exact time Anna walked down the courthouse's steps. Their eyes met for a second.

"It was clever to turn sister against sister," Christeson said.

"She's not against me," Elsa said. "She's just grieving."

She just hoped that was true.

The next day, Elsa found herself back in the courthouse. She hadn't slept at all the previous night. She had been too worried about what was going to happen. She was too nervous about whether or not the jury believed Anna or not. Elsa watched as Christeson called Rapunzel to the stand. Aland had already been recalled to the stand to testify about the fact that there had been no physical evidence to support the prosecution's argument that Elsa had murdered her father in cold blood. Aland had been quite convincing; she had seen some jury members not changing their gaze from Aland. Christeson always says that juries love to hear about DNA and other forensic evidence (mostly thanks to shows like CSI, Forensic Files or Bones) but since the prosecution didn't really have any that couldn't be explained by Elsa's story, Christeson was feeling quite confident. All he had to do was argue Elsa's state of mind that night.

"How long have you and the defendant known each other?" Christeson asked Rapunzel who was on the stand to testify Elsa's character.

"Oh for years," Rapunzel said. "We are very good friends – in fact I would say she is my best friend."

Christeson smiled. "Would you say, that in your opinion, that my client isn't capable of murder?"

"No," Rapunzel stated. "Elsa is like the sweetest thing. She wouldn't hurt anyone unless she was forced to."

"Like in self-defence?"

"Exactly like that."

Rapunzel was allowed to step down after that. Steenburg had denied the request to cross examine her (although he had cross examined Aland again to reiterate that the evidence matches up with Elsa killing her father). Merida also took the stand along with Elsa's cousin Astrid Winters, her Uncle Klaus Winters and her grandmother Ingrid Winters to talk about her character. The jury seemed to like the idea that Elsa had her friends and family behind her – well most of her family anyway.

Finally Elsa took the stand.

"What is your name for the court?" Christeson asked.

"Elsa Idun Winters," Elsa said. She started to shake but she told herself to stop. Christeson had said that nerves were a sign of guilt.

"What is your relationship to the victim?"

"He is my father," Elsa said. She tried to keep her answers simple and to the point. Christeson had said that clarity was a very important factor when testifying; it allowed jury members to understand what she had to say.

"Can you tell us, in your own words, what happened on the fourteenth of August?"

"I thought I was alone," Elsa said doing her best to stay staring at Christeson and not let her eyes drift to her sister. "Dad had said he was going out for a bit – I thought he said was going out to get some ice cream for desert." Elsa paused for a moment as she formed her words clearly. If she made one mistake in her testimony it could open up the doors for interpretation whether or not her words were true or not. "I was alone in my room. I thought I heard the door opening which was strange as I believed dad had only just left. I went downstairs and called out. There was no answer which I thought was just as strange. I saw the front door ajar. Some panic arose in me but I pushed it back down. That's when I went back up to my room. I then heard the sound of breaking glass and I thought that was bizarre. Then I heard footsteps and to me it sounded like more than one person.

"That's when I was panicking. I thought there was someone in the house. I thought that there was someone in my house rummaging around drawers. Maybe even come up the stairs, find me and take me hostage or kill me. Fear was consuming every pour of my body. I raced down the corridor to my dad's room; I knew there was a gun in there. I don't know what made me go for it but I did. The threat of losing my own life was controlling my actions. Human bodies are designed to survive and my brain was in full survival mode.

"I fumbled with the gun in my panic. I looked behind me and I saw the door handle go backwards and forwards as someone was coming in. I made sure the gun was loaded and ready to go. The door opened and someone walked in – I didn't know who it was, I just acted on impulse. I fired. Then I realised who I had fired at." Elsa let out a fake cry. It was very believable. "That's when I saw my dad's face as he realised what had happened. I didn't mean to shoot him. I thought it was someone coming to kill me." Elsa dissolved into fake tears. The jury looked at her with sympathetic eyes which Elsa took as a good sign.

"Thank you Miss Winters," Christeson said.

Christeson nodded at her then took a seat.

"I have no questions for this witness," Steenburg said which Elsa was surprised at. She was sure he was going to rip her story apart but one look over at the jury told her why. The jury saw her as a scared and panicked teenager who made a mistake. The jury would just hate him for distressing her further.

"The defence rests," Christeson said.

A few hours later Elsa found herself back outside the courthouse with Christeson. She couldn't stay still. Her fingers were drumming her body while her foot was tapping the ground. Christeson was on the phone to his wife. He was telling her how great the day was in court. Elsa knew that if Christeson wasn't worried, she shouldn't be worried. But it wasn't going to be Christeson that was going to go to jail if they came back with a guilty verdict. It wasn't going to be Christeson's life that would be over. They needed to come back with a not guilty verdict. She needed them to come back with an innocent verdict. She needed to get on that plane and go to Burgess now.

"You can calm down Elsa," Christeson said. "The jury loved you. They saw you for who you were; a victim. They didn't see you as a cold blooded killer."

"I think I might go to the bathroom," Elsa said very quickly. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. It was just making her nervous.

She quickly re-entered the courthouse and headed straight to the bathroom. She gripped the edges of the sink and stared into the mirror. She thought about the last time she was in this position; in the bathroom ready to collapse. It was when she was willing to end it all. She didn't know if she didn't regret doing it. But she did know that if she did, he would have won and not her. Elsa focused on herself in the mirror. She saw a terrified person staring right back at her. It didn't surprise her to see that. She had seen it way too often.

She turned the tap of the sink and let the water flow out. She threw water onto face destroying her makeup as she did but she didn't care. She just let the cool water splash onto her face. She closed her eyes for a few moments and let the water cling to her face. She grabbed some wet wipes out of her purse and used them to rub the ruined makeup off her face. She then splashed some more water into her face. She rubbed it into her face as if trying to wash away the guilt she was feeling. She looked back into the mirror. She did kill her father. They were all wrong when they said it was an accident. She could have put the gun down but what would have happened if she had? Her father would have probably murdered her. He would have gotten away with it. He had proof that she wanted to leave. He could have said she had run away. The police probably wouldn't have investigated. Adgar Winters had them all in his pockets. But when she wasn't lying when it was self-defence; she needed to protect herself.

Elsa continued to look into the mirror for a few more seconds before she grabbed a towel hanging on a hook and used to dry off the water off her face. When she looked into the mirror again, she saw a towering dominant figure behind her; it was her father. Elsa screamed and dropped the towel she was holding. She quickly turned around and saw that she was still alone in the bathroom. She held a hand over her heart; it was thumping very loudly. She was taking heavy breaths in as she stared around the room.

He's dead, Elsa told herself as she slid down onto the floor. He's dead and he's not coming back. He can't hurt you anymore, she told herself over and over again. He's gone. He's dead. Elsa remained on the floor for a few more seconds before she had the courage to get back to her feet. She gripped the sink again but refused to look back into it. Then she raised her chin and saw just her reflection staring back at her. Did her guilt manifest into her seeing things or did she just see her father's ghost?

Elsa took out her makeup from her purse started to reapply it. Focusing on doing her makeup allowed her take her mind off seeing her father again. Elsa had just finished doing her makeup when the door opened and Anna walked in. She stopped dead when she saw that her sister was in the bathroom as well. Elsa thought it would be best if she packed up her makeup and left Anna alone. She didn't need another scene like the one at the hospital. She quickly put her makeup back into her purse and then headed to the door. Elsa's hand was on the door handle when Anna spoke.

"You fucking lied on the stand," Anna said.

Elsa whipped around. Anna was staring into one of the bathroom mirrors. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Elsa could feel tears coming to her eyes as well. Anna _was_ right; she _had_ lied.

"No I didn't," Elsa whispered.

Anna whipped around to face her older sister. "You fucking bitch. You killed him. You know that." Anna pointed a shaky finger at Elsa. "You took him away from us. He was a good man and you murdered him."

Elsa just blinked. "You really didn't know," she whispered. Anna really didn't know. Elsa had hoped that she had some kind of inking of what had happened but she guessed that she didn't.

"What?" Anna snapped.

"Never mind," Elsa said quickly.

"No tell me," Anna said. "You were going to say something and I want to hear the great Elsa Winters speak."

"Just leave it," this time it was Elsa snapping. She wasn't about to pour her heart and inner feelings out to Anna. If Anna wanted to believe she was a murderer, then so be it. Anna wouldn't believe her anyway. She would just think that Elsa was making up things to get herself off the hook.

The door suddenly opened and their cousin Astrid came in. She looked at her cousins with a curious expression. She knew that she had interrupted an intense conversation.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"Just fine," both Elsa and Anna said at the same time.

"Alright," Astrid stretched out the word. She knew they were lying. "The jury is back."

Elsa felt panic rise once again within her. This was it. Today was going to be the day whether she would be set free or be locked up. She followed her cousin and sister out of the bathroom and back into the courtroom. Anna took a seat with Astrid. Anna was still looking quite upset at her but Elsa couldn't concentrate on that at the moment. She had more important things to worry about.

Elsa took her seat next to Christeson. She wiped her sweaty palms against her skirt. She watched the judge take his seat. Her eyes shifted to the jury. Her life was in the hands of twelve men and women. The foreman – a woman – stood up when she was asked to by the judge.

"Has the jury reached a decision?" the judge asked them.

"Yes," the foreman said.

"May the defendant please rise," the judge said to Elsa and she took to her feet. She was trembling as she did. The judge looked over at the jury. "On the count of murder, how do you find the defendant?"

The foreman looked over at Elsa and they locked eyes. There was a second as Elsa tried to stare into her soul – to see her mind. The foreman looked back at the judge.

"Not guilty," the foreman said.

Elsa thought she had heard this incorrectly. She had been so sure that they were going to read out a guilty vote that she had her mouth open to correct them. Christeson stood up to shake her hand. Everyone cheered at this decision. Elsa still felt like it wasn't real; that somehow the foreman was going to go 'psych' and laugh at her.

"Miss Winters," the judge said. "This court has found you not guilty. You are free to go."

Christeson patted her on the back and they left the courthouse together into the roaring crowd of flashes as journalists tried to get a comment out of her. As Elsa walked past her family, she could see Anna's face; it was shocked and angry. Elsa tried to hide her tears as she walked with Christeson. She forced her face to smile. She had done it after all. She was going to get the future she had always dreamed. That made her smile for real.

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

Anna stood with Hans in an old graveyard outside the Arendelle Church. The rain splattered down onto them but Anna didn't care. She didn't even feel it. She was staring at the gravestone in front of her; her father's. She wiped some tears away from her eyes as stared at the grave in the ground.

The funeral was over. It had taken place a few hours earlier. They had all ambled in the church that was just under a kilometre away from where Anna was currently standing. The church was packed until it was bursting at the seams. Everyone wanted to pay their respects to her father. The church was decorated from head to foot in flowers. Anna had sat up at the front of the church with her family. Anna couldn't stop staring at the large coffin that was at the front of the church. It had white lilies decorating the top of it. The priest stood at the top of the church and started the service. Anna cried into her Uncle Klaus' shoulder the entire time. They then walked out into the graveyard where Anna with her family and family's friends watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Anna stuck to her uncle as she kept crying into his shoulder. It wasn't until the reception, which took place after the service, did Hans take over; Anna practically collapsed into his arms at the reception. She thought it was sweet that he had showed up for her.

Anna just continued to stare at the grave. She was feeling angry. Her dad had been taken from her way too early. The reason for this was her sister, Elsa. Elsa hadn't turned up to the funeral – in fact Anna hadn't seen her sister since the day they announced that she was proclaimed innocent; a decision that Anna had disagreed with but she had let it go as the justice system had found her innocent and she had to believe in the justice system otherwise she might go crazy. But her rage never left her. How could her own sister not turn up to their father's funeral? If that didn't say guilt, she didn't know what did. However, a small part of her was glad that Elsa didn't show. She didn't think that she could handle her sister at the moment. If Anna laid eyes on her, she would probably kill her.

Anna walked away from the grave with her hands in her pockets. Hans was following her but he was a step behind. He kept sending her nervous looks. He was worried about her. They returned back to the reception – Anna had needed some fresh air and so Han had taken her for a small walk and somehow ended up at the grave. When Anna walked back into reception hall, she collapsed onto a couch with Hans by her side. He stroked her hair and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. It wasn't long after that did Hans get a call; it was his brother. It seemed important as a concerned expression crossed his face.

"I'm so sorry Anna," he said. "That's my brother. Dad wants all of us for an emergency board meeting concerning a takeover."

"That's fine," Anna smiled at him. "Go. You've done so much for me today. Thanks."

"You sure?"

"Yes," Anna nodded.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes," Anna smiled again. "Go."

Hans smiled, gave her another kiss on the check before he left the room. Anna wasn't alone for very long; Kristoff came to join her. Anna found Kristoff to be very easy to talk to. Even though he was Elsa's friend, he had come to support her and not just Elsa. Kristoff engaged her in some conversation which Anna was glad about; it gave her something other than the funeral to think about.

Eventually Anna decided enough was enough. She was tired and wanted to go home – well not home, she was checked into some flashy hotel since she couldn't stand to be in that house anymore. Kristoff offered to drive her home since everyone else was busy doing one thing or another. Anna was glad of this and a few minutes later she found herself clambering into Kristoff's car.

"The car's probably not what you're used to," Kristoff said, looking a little embarrassed.

"It's heaven," Anna said. She was glad to see the inside of a car that didn't cost more than a down payment on a house.

Kristoff blushed. "So to your hotel?"

"No," Anna had an idea. "Elsa's hotel."

* * *

Elsa was sitting in her hotel room that she had been in since the day she had killed her father. Nobody had been back at the Arendelle Mansion since the shooting. Everyone couldn't stand being there just now. Elsa, meanwhile, was sitting on a couch in some flashy hotel room in the centre of Arendelle. She had remained there since the shooting to avoid the press and everyone in Arendelle. She just wanted to be alone for a while until she figured things out. Her plan to get to Burgess had been put on hold due to the court case and then she hadn't found any flights. She had been checking practically every minute of every day since she had been found innocent but nothing had been posted. She gathered from this that not a lot flights headed out that way. No connecting flights either; she had wanted to fly to the States and then to Burgers but nothing.

A knock on the door interrupted Elsa. She had been sitting on a chair in her hotel suite sipping on some red wine when she heard the knock. She got up and opened the door. When she did, she got a shock. It was Anna and Kristoff. Elsa could have dropped the glass she was holding. What on earth were they doing here?

"Where the fuck were you?" Anna said barging into her hotel room.

"Come on in," Elsa whispered. She looked at Kristoff who gave her a shrug. Elsa turned to her sister. "What do you want?"

"I want to know where were you – have you been drinking?" Anna added when she spotted the glass of red wine in her hand. She looked disgusted at what she saw. "Have you been celebrating dad's death?"

"No," Elsa said quickly even though that was exactly what she had been doing. Yes, she had been toasting that son of a bitch's trip to hell but she wasn't about to say that to her younger sister any time soon. Anna practically worshipped the ground that Agdar Winters walked on. Shattering that, wasn't going to be something that Elsa wanted to do.

"You have," snarled Anna. "I don't believe this. I do not believe this. I am fucking going out of my mind and here you are, celebrating dad's death."

"Anna, get the fuck out of my hotel room," Elsa suddenly found herself shouting at her sister. She didn't know where that came from but she didn't need to explain herself to her sister – or anyone for that matter.

Anna didn't do anything but fold her arms. "No," she snarled. "I want to know why you didn't show up at dad's funeral? Was it because you are glad that he's dead?"

"Anna, get out," Elsa screamed at her. Elsa didn't know why her temper was rising but it was and it was rising very quickly.

Anna took a step closer to her. "You fucking bitch. How dare you do this to me! First you kill our dad in cold blood and then you fucking don't even turn up to his funeral. What is the fuck is wrong with you?"

Elsa didn't know why but she snapped. Suddenly it wasn't her younger sister yelling at her. Suddenly it was her father. Anna had transformed into her father. Elsa didn't know what made her do it. She just did it. Elsa suddenly lashed out in the only way she knew how; physically.

"Elsa!" Kristoff shouted.

Elsa suddenly found herself being pulled off her sister by Kristoff. She looked down at the scene. She had been beating the crap out of her sister. Her nose was bleeding and some visible bruises on her face. Elsa stumbled backwards in shock. What had she done? Why had she done it? She had done the exact thing that her father would have done. She had turned into her father; the one thing she had vowed she would never do.

Elsa then raced out of the hotel room without a single word or glance at her sister. It wasn't long till she was at her old house. She needed to get out of Arendelle. She needed to get to Burgess and she needed to get to it now before she did something else she regretted.

* * *

 _A few days later_

"I'm telling you Jack," Bunnymund said to his friend. "Jules is a great girl."

"I don't know," Jack said as he walked up the stairs of his dorm. "We dated in our last year at school and now that we're at university…I don't know."

"Oh, Jack is getting cold feet," Tooth laughed at him. She grabbed Bunnymund's arm and linked it with hers. Jack smiled at the pair of them. Sometimes he would wish that they would just get together already but Bunnymund was afraid to admit his feelings for someone and Tooth didn't want to get involved with someone like Bunnymund who was a bit of a player at times.

They headed into the corridor that contained the dorm room that Jack shared with Bunnymund, Tooth, their friend Tadashi and Sandy. Tooth had it tough sharing a room with a bunch of guys. She would often complain about the things they did like leaving dishes out or making total messes throughout the door but Jack knew that she wouldn't want to live with anyone else. Jack knew that she secretly loved to live with them. Jack walked along the corridor to his room, taking out his keys as he walked. That's when he noticed what was going on in the corridor; he had spotted a blonde girl standing outside the dorm room opposite his, it had the door open which revealed the insides of the room. There were several large cardboard boxes outside and the girl was loading them into the room. Jack was surprised to see someone moving in. He had thought that Honey Lemon, Gogo and Astrid were the only ones living in there this year but he guessed he was wrong about that.

"Hey," Jack said to her. The girl looked up and smiled at him with shining blue eyes.

"Hey," she said.

"Need some help?" Jack offered, guesting to the cardboard boxes as he did.

"No thanks, I got it," the girl said, lifting one of the boxes and placing it on the kitchen counter in the door room.

"So I gather you're new to BU?" Jack said.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I gather that you are too?"

"Yeah," Jack gave her a smile. "I live across the hall, so if you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks," the girl said. "The same goes to me if you need anything."

Jack smiled at her for a few seconds.

"I'm Jack, by the way," he extended his hand out.

"Elsa," the girl said taking it and giving it a shake.

 **A/N: Okay first off, I may have lied when I said Thirst was getting updated next - huge writer's block at the moment for that story but I will get round to it, so super sorry. Also lied on Jack's entry - he was supposed to be in chapter 3 and then chapter 7 but now finally in chapter 8, he has arrived. I hoped everyone has enjoyed his small introduction - more in the following chapter. The court scene may not have been the best but I thought it worked for the current situation since no one knows about the abuse and it could have been tough to prove. Anna's reaction may come at a surprise to people but she's not going to have a heart to heart with Elsa - at least not yet. Remember that Anna has no idea what is going on with her sister so her reaction is probably justifiable. Also that scene with her and Elsa was intense - it seems that finally Elsa did lash out at her sister. But at least Elsa is now in Burgess with Jack, so Jelsa can now officially start at last. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest: Well yeah, it was her intention to kill herself but other things happened. Yeah, Elsa can't use abuse as a defence but she still used self-defence as the reason to justify her actions. Jack's not going to come in at the very end, this story has a lot more to go.**

 **WeridWerewolfFan: Thanks so much! Well that scene may not come at this particular time. No sisterly-bond moment just yet. Jack's not going to be a teacher sorry. Haha, the cup is going to come home with the All Blacks. We slaughtered France and we're not going to stop there.**

 **Guest: Sorry no. You may have to wait for that.**

 **Kylabecky2003: Thanks so much. Yes, obviously Elsa is going to Burgess and meets Jack. Anna will come to her senses but when? Who knows! Kristanna is going to happen but Hans is just in the way at the moment.**

 **ZERO-xxx: Yes she did act in self-defence and it looks like she got off the hook. She also got to BU and maybe she will fall for Jack - cough- -cough-. Hopefully you did enjoy the small cameo of Jack in this chapter.**

 **QueenMaylina8Candy: Thanks so much! Also, wow, what a compliment!**

 **SMrFreeze: Thanks! Jack's in this chapter, hopefully you enjoyed the big reveal. Jack may begin to be the happy guy but he has a past which will help him connect to Elsa.**

 **ElsaWilson: Sorry for the lengths! I just happen to write a lot. Thanks!**

 **Calmdownmari: Well she got into a little trouble but she's free at last!**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! It does look like things did work out for Elsa.**

 **sanaa11: Yeah it is a little but hopefully not too much. Thanks so much!**

 **Silent reader: Yeah she did, she didn't really have a choice though. Thanks! Well Elsa isn't really a 'murderer' in that sense as it was self-defence.**

 **Guest (MixyBell): Well maybe as Elsa had to be acquitted. Jack's arrival is now - hope you liked it.**

 **Ziabee99: Haha, thanks so much. I'm glad you enjoy those scenes, they are fun to write. Yeah that scene was very intense - so back and forwards (will she get away, will he win - that kind of thing) but thankfully Elsa did come out of it. Anyway, glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was a little bit of an emotional roller-coaster. Yeah I did use real life emotions - going to uni wasn't easy as school was quite sheltering for me. Again thanks and wow, that's great!**


	9. Burgess

**Chapter 9: Burgess**

 _A few days earlier_

It didn't take Elsa very long to get all her stuff – which she wanted to take to Burgess – from her house. She hurriedly placed them in cardboard boxes that she randomly found in a storage room in the house. Once she had done with that, she scribbled a note explaining that she was going. She carefully placed it on coffee table near the front door before she closed the door behind her. After calling a taxi, she went back to her hotel where she thankfully didn't find Anna or Kristoff. She was glad that they had left. It allowed her to pack what little things she had remaining before she checked out of her hotel.

It was a short drive to the airport; one which Elsa was really glad of. She was sick of Arendelle. She wanted to get out, to leave. However, Elsa was distracted by another thing; the fact that she had done the unthinkable. She had lashed out at her sister in the same way that her father would have. The cycle continues in her. Elsa wanted nothing more than to smack her head against something for this. How could she have hurt her own sister? This was something that she had sworn never to do. That's why she convinced their father to send Anna away – that way she was safe from harm if their father decided to do to her what he does to Elsa.

What would Anna think now? Elsa dreaded the thought. Their relationship was undoubtedly damaged beyond repair now. Well that could be a good thing. Elsa would never have to shatter her perfect world. She would never discover the truth. Elsa wanted to keep it like that. It was for the best. But deep down, Elsa wanted a relationship with her sister. She wanted them to be like regular siblings – like how Merida was with her younger brothers, sure she found them annoying but they helped each other out when they needed it and they loved each other. Could something like that be possible for them? Elsa somehow doubted it. Anna has always been on the edge with wanting a relationship with her older sister. Elsa has always distanced herself from Anna which was probably why. Then recent events happened; Anna made her viewpoint pretty clear in court. Perhaps Anna wasn't just saying those things because she was grieving? Maybe she was saying them because she actually believed them? Elsa shuddered at the thought. She hoped not.

Then there was Kristoff. What was he going to think? Well it can't be anything good. He was probably in shock – the same as Anna. Kristoff would be better off without her anyway. Elsa wasn't really the best friend; she was actually surprised by the things that were said in court about her. Elsa wouldn't always be able to be there for people and she drew inside herself. She wouldn't open up. She would shut herself off from the world and somehow she had friends who would testify for her in court. Elsa did feel bad about leaving these friends but she knew she had to leave. They would be better off without her pulling them down. They would find new, better, friends to hang around with.

Still, Elsa couldn't get the nasty and scared look that Anna had plastered over her face when Elsa was hitting her. That look was enough to make Elsa feel terrified to the very bones of her being. Elsa would never forget that look as long as she would live. That look would haunt her for the rest of her life – as it should. Elsa had done something that she should never have done. It was her punishment.

"The airport, Miss," the taxi driver said to her when he pulled up to the airport. Suddenly Elsa realised that the driver had managed to get her to the airport. Elsa snapped out of her thoughts to focus on the driver.

"Thanks," Elsa said. She paid the driver before he helped her load her things (which weren't a lot) onto a trolley for Elsa to wheel into the airport. The driver tipped his hat in respect to her before driving off. Elsa then wheeled the trolley into the airport where she realised she didn't have the slightest idea what she should do. She paused in the middle of the airport as bustling travellers raced around her. She didn't have a plan. She had just raced to the airport without a second thought. Maybe she could go to Oslo or something while she figured things out. Elsa was about to head in the direction of shuttle which would take her to the domestic flights part of the airport when something caught her eye.

It was the American Airlines counter. Elsa hesitated for a moment as she tapped her fingers against the handlebar of the trolley. Surely, it wouldn't hurt if she checked. She hadn't gotten round to checking every single airline for flights. Maybe the American ones could have the flight she was looking for. Elsa turned her trolley in the direction of the counter and walked towards it. It was rather busy today. There were several people ahead of her and Elsa didn't like this. She was impatient. She wanted to get this done as soon as possible.

"Next!" called a woman with red hair after about thirty minutes of waiting. Elsa soon realised that she was next. Elsa wheeled her trolley up to her counter. "Hello," the woman said to her. She spoke with a thick American accent.

"Hello," Elsa said. "I was wondering if you had any flights to Burgess?"

Her hopes weren't high. She was expecting them to turn away. She was actually planning to book a flight to another place until she can get to Burgess.

"Burgess, you say?" she tapped away at her computer. Elsa had her fingers crossed in the pockets of her jacket. "Yes we do," she said with a smile. Elsa felt relief swarm over her. They actually had flights available. "There is a flight to New York in half an hour and then we can connect you to Burgess from there. You will have to spend the night in New York though as the flight to Burgess isn't until the next day."

"That's fine," Elsa said quickly. She didn't care when the flight was as long as she could leave by tonight. The woman asked for her passport which Elsa produced along with payment. Elsa didn't have to worry about her money anymore as her father wasn't around to check it. She had full access to her trust fund now which was something that her father kept to himself; only allowing her to access small amounts from time to time. The woman behind the counter then helped with Elsa's luggage. Elsa was now only left with one bag which she swung over her shoulder.

"That's all good," the woman printed off one ticket and handed it to Elsa. "Gate fourteen. You better hurry. Flight leaves in about half an hour."

"Thanks," Elsa said.

"Thank you for choosing American Airlines."

Elsa then quickly took off. She sprinted across the airport as fast as she could. She jumped over trolleys, ducked past other passengers and raced up escalators. She was not going to miss this flight. She was going to get on it even if it was the last thing she did. Eventually Elsa found gate ten and knew she must be close. She raced past gates eleven to thirteen until she found gate fourteen. She halted in front of it, panting loudly. The kind lady there smiled at her. Elsa was just in time. She had four minutes to spare.

"Don't worry," the lady said kindly. "You made it."

"Thank god," Elsa said through heavy panting. She produced her ticket and handed it to the lady who checked her in. She could feel the blood pounding in her head. She tried to force herself to calm down. She had made it, she forced herself to think. It helped.

"All done," the lady said handing Elsa back her passport and ticket. "I hope you have an enjoyable flight."

Elsa smiled at her before she walked down the gangway and onto the plane. It didn't take her too long to find her seat which was about halfway down the plane; seat eighteen C which was right by the window. She was sitting next to some gentleman who had a small child (if Elsa had to guess the boy's age, she thought that maybe he was ten) next to him. The gentleman stood up and allowed Elsa to pass after helping to get her bag into the overhead lockers. Elsa gave him a grateful smile before taking a seat next to him.

"This is your captain speaking," said a voice over the intercom. "This is flight 721 from Arendelle, Norway to New York City, New York, America. Thank you for choosing American airlines today. I hope you have an enjoyable flight."

The intercom went dead. Elsa looked out the window and saw that they were moving away from the airport. This was it, Elsa thought. She was leaving.

* * *

Anna saw Elsa sprint out of her hotel room as fast she could Anna was still on the ground until Kristoff helped her to her feet. He handed Anna a tissue which Anna used to fix her bleeding nose. Anna was in a state of shock. What the fuck just happen? One minute Anna was confronting her sister and then the next minute, Anna was on the floor with her sister beating the crap out of her.

Anna felt anger rising within her again. Her sister, her own sister, attacked her. Well, that news shouldn't surprise her. She did kill their father after all. She must have a violent side that they didn't know about.

"You okay?" Kristoff peered into her eyes.

"No," Anna said. She did her best not to get snappy with Kristoff. He wasn't the source of her anger. "Did you know she would do that?"

"No," Kristoff shook his head. "I've always known Elsa to be a sweet girl. I would never have thought she would lash out against her own sister like that."

"That's because she's not the girl you know," Anna said. "She's a bitch; first she kills our father and then assaults me."

"She was acquitted of that," Kristoff said.

"Doesn't mean she didn't do it," Anna said. "Just means that twelve people didn't believe she did."

Kristoff looked like he thought that Anna had a point. "Well, what do you want to do?"

Anna took away the tissue from her nose. It had finally stopped bleeding. She stared down at the blood.

"I want it out with her," she said. "I want her to explain herself."

"Fair enough," Kristoff said.

"Come on," Anna said. She walked down the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Kristoff asked looking a little confused.

"I'm going to find Elsa," Anna said simply.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Well obviously," Anna said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Where is she?"

"Home."

Anna didn't know how she knew but she knew. She would go there.

They arrived at the Arendelle Mansion an hour later. They had gotten into some traffic which Anna had hoped that would be able to avoid. She wanted to get it out with Elsa as soon as she could. The longer she gave her, the longer Elsa had time to think of some excuse for why she attacked her little sister. They burst through the front doors when they arrived.

"Elsa!" Anna screamed through the house. She got no response. "I know you're here!" Anna raced around the house looking for her sister. The first place Anna looked was Elsa's bedroom. When she threw open the door she expected to find Elsa collapsed on her bed but she wasn't. She instead found the room cleared out which Anna found odd. Maybe Elsa was moving out? Anna then raced down to her father's room. She stopped outside the room. She hesitated. She didn't want to go in. That was the place her father died.

Anna forced herself to go in. The killer always returns to the scene of the crime after all. Elsa could be in there but Anna didn't find her sister in there which Anna again thought was odd. Where was Elsa? Anna was sure that she would have found her somewhere around. Anna then hurried back down the stairs calling for her sister. Where was she? Anna wanted it out with Elsa and she wanted it now. Elsa had to explain herself to her. There was just no reason to assault her. Anna wanted to know what Elsa had been thinking. That came from nowhere. It was as if something snapped within her.

Anna hurried back into the front hallway where Kristoff hadn't moved from. Anna was surprised to see this. She had thought that he might have gone around to the kitchen or maybe outside to see where Elsa had gone instead of standing around looking like an idiot clutching some piece of paper.

"Why haven't you gone to look for Elsa?" Anna demanded of him.

"Anna," Kristoff said softly. He gave her a kind and concerned look. He sighed quite heavily. Anna knew that immediately that this wasn't good.

"What?" Anna said, not in a sharp manner but in a soft voice – almost like a whisper.

"She's gone," Kristoff said simply. The light went out of his eyes when he said that.

"What?" this time Anna said it a little louder. "What do you mean 'gone'?"

Kristoff was confusing her. What was he saying?

"She's left," Kristoff showed her the note.

"Dear everyone," Anna read out loud, "I'm sorry but I can no longer stay in Arendelle for reasons that I won't bore you with. I'm going somewhere where I can be who I want to be and not someone who I was being forced to be. Sorry for doing this so suddenly and out of the blue but this is something that I've wanted to do for a while now. Sorry to everyone –Anna who deserves a better sister than myself, Rapunzel and Merida – you guys deserve a friend who won't bail and who will be a better friend, my family – you guys have accepted me but I have been a let-down to all of you. Please understand that I am okay and I need to do this. Don't look for me. Don't try to contact me. I won't be back. I'll be fine. Thank you to all, Elsa."

Anna stared at the letter. Elsa had…left? Like as in left Arendelle…for good? But why? She said for "reasons that I won't bore you with" – what on earth did that mean? Did that mean that Elsa had some deep dark secret that she wasn't going to reveal? However, Anna had a nagging feeling that it had to do with the fact that she murdered their father. Could Elsa be running from that?

"What do we tell people?" Kristoff asked.

"That my sister is a coward," Anna handed the letter back to Kristoff.

"We can't say that."

"Then _you_ tell people that Elsa has run off because she can't face her problems."

"That's not true"

"Oh yeah?" Anna raised an eyebrow at him. "The letter says it as clear as day."

"Today has been foggy and raining."

Anna went a little red. "It's a saying!" She snatched the letter from Kristoff. "Fine! I'll go tell people that Elsa had run off!"

People didn't take it very well.

Anna had raced back to the hotel where her family was staying and called a family meeting. Rapunzel and Merida, Elsa's best friends, had been called as well.

"What is going on dear?" Anna's grandmother, Ingrid Winters, had asked.

"Just a few moments Grandma," Anna said scanning the room, double checking that no one was missing. She did not want to repeat herself. They were currently all crammed into Anna's grandmother's suite – which was big enough. It was a connecting suite to her son's (and Anna's uncle) Klaus' room which he shared with his wife, Greta, and daughter, Astrid. "Everyone here?" Anna took another look around the room. Anna then saw Rapunzel and Merida enter the room. She was sure that they were the last people to arrive. "Good, I think everyone is here."

"What is going on Anna?" Anna's Aunt Great asked. She looked from her husband to niece with a curious look. Her husband had shrugged at her and so she focused her gaze at her niece instead.

"I have news," Anna looked at Kristoff. They were both standing by the huge fireplace in the room. There was no fire but Anna could feel heat rising within her.

"About?" Hans asked. Anna had called him and asked if he could come. He had dropped everything the second he had sense something was wrong. He had been shocked to see the bruises on Anna's face. She had insisted that they were nothing and proceeded to use some makeup to cover them up. She didn't know why she was hiding them. People should know the truth about her sister but she didn't want a thousand questions at once from her family. So she hid the evidence of the fight.

Anna took in a deep breath. "Elsa."

"What about Elsa?" Astrid asked. She looked around the room as if she was hoping to see her. "She's not here."

"No, she's not," Anna said. "She's gone."

"Gone?" the word was echoed around the room.

Anna produced the letter that she and Kristoff had found. Anna gave it to her Uncle Klaus to read and he read it out loud. When he had finished, there was a shock feeling that hung in the air. Everyone seemed to not to know how to react to the news that Elsa had taken off without a forwarding address.

"But why?" it was Rapunzel who had broken the silence. She looked upset and that she could burst into tears at any moment. Merida, who was sitting next to her, looked the same.

Anna shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the whole mess with dad?"

"She was cleared," Merida snapped at Anna.

"Just because the jury thinks it was self-defence doesn't mean it was!" Anna snapped back at her.

"That's enough Anna!" Anna's grandmother said. "That's not important. Right now I have a scared granddaughter who thought she had to leave her family."

"Guilt can make people do weird things," Anna muttered.

"Anna," Uncle Klaus said in a warning tone that made Anna's gaze drop to the floor and cause her mouth to close.

A silence hung in the air. Nobody seemed want to break it. Rapunzel and Merida both looked upset. In fact; the entire room looked upset. Anna didn't know what she felt. She felt both relieved and upset at the same time. Trying to have a relationship with her was like minefield – today proved that and she was still angry about. But somehow, there was a feeling that felt like sadness. Anna didn't know why. They didn't even have a relationship but she helped Anna when she needed it like with the whole catastrophe with Hans.

Was Anna feeling sad about Elsa leaving?

"I'm going to call her," Rapunzel suddenly said getting out her phone. Anna almost felt like telling her not to bother. Elsa had told them not to contact her. Anna highly doubted that she would pick up her phone. Anna watched Rapunzel try over and over again and each time she did, she got more frustrated at the fact that her best friend wasn't answering. Anna walked over and hung up Rapunzel's phone for her.

"Enough," Anna said gently. "You're only going to make yourself go crazy."

"Why isn't she answering?" Rapunzel's eyes had tears in them.

"Because she wants to get a clean break," Merida said in a small voice.

"But why?" Rapunzel turned to her other friend. "Why?"

"I dunno," Merida shrugged. "But I have a feeling that we won't find out anytime soon."

Rapunzel looked down at the phone in her hand and sighed.

* * *

The plane touched down in Burgess the day after she left. She already had to spend a whole day in New York as her flight wasn't until early the next day. New York was alright. She spent the day looking around, eating pretzels and looking into random tourist shops. Elsa kind of wished that she could have stayed maybe a couple of days later – maybe take in a show. Rent was playing the day she landed. It looked good. But she would rather leave New York as soon as possible because the longer she stayed in New York; the longer she stayed away from Burgess.

She couldn't believe it when she set foot onto Burgess soil. It was a massive 'finally' like moment when she stepped out of the airport doors and into the fresh air. There was no one here who she knew; no one who knew about her past; no one who knew about her dealings with her father. Here, she can be whoever she wants to be, not someone who her father wanted her to bed. The feeling was almost enough to make her float into the clouds and surround her in a neat bubble.

Elsa had to juggle many different packages. She had to have two trolleys to do deal with her stuff that she collected from baggage claim – she had raced from the plane to the baggage claim before she headed out the door. Once outside, she made sure to find a taxi in order for her to get to Burgess University. She had called them while she was in New York to double check her placing. They had given her the thumbs up which Elsa was relieved about.

Elsa liked her taxi driver. He seemed really helpful and sweet. When Elsa flagged him down, he said hello to her and put her bags into the car for her. When Elsa told him where to go, he gave her a grin and a nod of his head. The entire journey they talked. Sure, it was about small, almost meaningless stuff but to Elsa, it was one of the best conversations she had ever had. The taxi driver – Steve, as he had introduced himself as – told her all about his life. He told her about his wife of fifteen years and their three children (twin boys and a girl). He then told her about how he used to run his own bookstore for ten years before it went under as it was earning money and so their house went under as well. Elsa felt sorry for the guy. He lost his business and he lost his job. However the one thing that she loved about him was the fact that all this didn't hamper his spirits. Elsa almost admired him for his courage.

He wasn't the only topic of conversation. Steve asked about her and so Elsa told him that she was from Arendelle, Norway and that she had decided to come to America to enrol in university here. Steve liked this idea. His smile made Elsa smile and laugh. When they came to their destination, Elsa felt quite upset. She had wanted this conversation to last even longer but all good things must come to an end. Steve helped her get her luggage out of the car and placed it near the university's entrance for her. Elsa paid him, watched Steve tip his hat to her before he drove off.

That was when Elsa got a good look at the university.

The university was a series of buildings – each different shapes and sizes. Elsa stood outside the main building. It was a large rectangle building with a sloping roof. It had ground to ceiling glass windows that Elsa could see many people sitting behind desks tapping away at computers. Elsa walked down a large paved pathway that had a series of small trees on either side. She walked through automatic doors into a large reception area. After several trips, she managed to have all her luggage into this reception area.

The reception area was a large oval shaped room decorated with paintings, leafy plants and red carpet. In front of her was a large desk with a few people sitting behind it on computers. Elsa nervously approached them. A woman, who looked like she was in her mid-forties, looked up at her and smiled.

"Hello," Elsa said nervously.

"How may I help you?" the woman had a kind voice to go along with her kind face.

"My name is Elsa Winters and I called yesterday about my dorm room," Elsa said.

"New student?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes."

"Do you have your student ID number?"

A few seconds later the woman was tapping away at her computer and she pulled up Elsa's file.

"Ah Miss Winters," she smiled at her computer. "I see you have enrolled in our law and psychology classes."

"Yes."

"Okay so according to this you have been placed in the Jacob Sparks dorm."

Elsa didn't know who Jacob Sparks was but she guessed he was pretty important if he had a dorm room named after him. The woman then passed her an information packet. Inside was everything that Elsa needed; information about her degree, her room key, her ID card, map of the campus, upcoming events etc.. Elsa placed it into her bag. She would look through it later when she had time.

"So classes begin on Monday," the woman told Elsa. That gave Elsa about five days to get settled in. "I hope you have a wonderful time here at BU."

"Thank you," Elsa gave her a grateful smile.

The woman helped get Elsa a trolley for her to put her things on. It was one of those large trolleys that porters use in hotels. Elsa placed her things on the trolley and wheeled it outside. Using the map she was given, she walked down the university streets. She made careful note to take in everything she saw. Several students greeted her as she walked by. Elsa smiled back at them. Eventually she made it to her dorm. She opened the door and by using her foot to keep it open, she managed to push her trolley inside before quickly racing after it. The Jacob Sparks dorm looked quite new compared to some of the older looking buildings here. She noticed a plaque in the entrance hall that said it was built only five years ago.

Inside the entrance hall wasn't much. There was a man sitting behind a desk reading a newspaper. Elsa took him to be a security guard. Next to him was a set of stairs and next to those were two large elevators. Elsa pushed the up button. A ding then was heard as one of the elevators opened up. Elsa pushed her trolley into them before getting herself. There was a ding before the elevator doors opened onto Elsa's floor. Elsa wheeled the trolley down to her room before she opened the door with her key. She knelt down and picked up one of the cardboard boxes and placed it on her kitchen table before heading back out. She knelt down next to another but she stopped as she got interrupted.

Hey," came a voice behind her. She turned around to find a hot looking boy standing right behind her with a group of friends behind him. The boy was about a head taller than her and scruffy blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He was dressed in blue hoodie that had the words 'University of Burgess' splashed across the middle. He had long skinny black jeans that ended in Nike sneakers. If Elsa had to guess, he was around her age. He was grinning at her while his friends hovered in the background. Elsa actually had to stop herself from staring. There was just something about the way he was smiling at her. It was a warm smile that Elsa had never experienced before. It gave her butterflies in her stomach.

"Hey," she said.

"Need some help?" the boy offered, guesting to the cardboard boxes as he did.

"No thanks, I got it," she said, lifting one of the boxes and placing it on the kitchen counter in the door room like how she did with the previous box.

"So I gather you're new to BU?" the boy said.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I gather that you are too?"

"Yeah," he gave her a smile. "I live across the hall, so if you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks," Elsa said. Having him across the hall may turn out to be very interesting. "The same goes to me if you need anything."

He smiled at her for a few seconds.

"I'm Jack, by the way," he extended his hand out.

"Elsa," Elsa said taking it and giving it a shake.

Jack looked like a fun character. She was already getting a good vibe off him. She didn't know where it came from but she was getting a warm feeling. It started in the pit of her stomach and travelled throughout her entire body. She had never felt like this before. She didn't know what to do next. It took her a few moments before she realised that she was still staring at him. He seemed to be enjoying the attention he was getting from her.

"I got to finish moving in," Elsa suddenly said. She pointed at all her boxes.

"Remember I'm here if you need some help," Jack gave her a wink which made Elsa laugh.

Jack re-joined his friends and disappeared into his apartment. Elsa just laughed and continued to move into her room. No one else was in the apartment – no signs of anyone else moving in – so Elsa took, in her opinion, the best bedroom. It was large and spacious with a couple of drawers. a wardrobe and a couple of large windows that had a garden view to them. Elsa headed back into the kitchen which was also a living room. There were several large couches and chairs that pointed in the direction of a large TV. The kitchen area had a large bench area with a dishwasher, microwave, fridge and other kitchen appliances. There three other bedrooms. Elsa didn't know who else would be bunking up with her but she would be excited to see them.

Elsa raided the fridge. It was packed to the brim for the new members that would be staying in her dorm room. Elsa selected some chips and some dip before throwing herself onto one of the couches and stuffing her face. Elsa felt something in her pocket and realised it was her phone. She realised she hadn't checked her phone in about forty eight hours – not since before she raced out of her hotel room in Arendelle. Elsa flicked it open and saw she had a bunch of messages – they were from Rapunzel, Merida, Kristoff and, surprisingly, Anna. Elsa stared at the texts. They were all the same.

They were all messages asking her where she was and why she had left. She could feel the sadness emanating from these messages. She scrolled through dozens and dozens of messages. There was one message from Anna. Elsa didn't know what she wanted to do with it. Should she delete it and never think about it again or should she read it and see what Anna had to say? Surely, it wouldn't be anything good. The way they had left it – Elsa shuddered at the very thought. Why would Anna be sending her a message? Elsa was sure that after their little incident, Anna would never want to talk to her again. Elsa hesitated. Her thumb hovered over the text message. Her mind was in two minds; to read it or not to read it. Eventually Elsa, just clicked on the message.

 _Elsa, I don't know what happened today. I really don't. I need you to explain things to me so I stop imagine throwing your head through a brick wall. What you did today was unacceptable and I deserve an explanation. While you're at it, you need to explain why you have run off to god knows where and abandoned your family and friends. Everyone wants to know when you're coming home. Frankly, I don't care if you do because I saw the real you today. That's someone I don't want to know. So thanks for the memories, I didn't need them one bit._

Elsa almost cried when she read the message. She didn't expect anything less from Anna. When you attack a woman and kill her father, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear that woman hates your guts. It took Elsa some moments before she listened to the voicemails that Rapunzel left her.

 _"_ _Elsa,"_ Rapunzel's voice said. Elsa almost started to cry again. Listening to Rapunzel's voice gave her a yearning for her. Elsa continued to listen to it. _"I don't where you are; I just hope it's somewhere nice and sunny. I am sorry to hear that you had to run off – whatever reasons you had for running, I wish you had mentioned them to me. We are best friends; you know you can tell me anything. But you didn't. That hurts me. But I hope you will come home sometime soon and explain this whole mess to me because I have no idea about any of it. So please, come home. We miss you."_

Elsa did feel a tear come to her eye but she quickly wiped it away. She couldn't go back. She had to leave Arendelle. Burgess was her new home now. Arendelle was in her past. She couldn't move backwards; only forwards. Elsa focused on this for several minutes so as to get any thoughts about going back to Arendelle to explain things. If she went back, she would have to explain about the abuse and that was something that she had promised herself that nobody would ever know. Elsa didn't want to appear weak; only strong.

It took every bit of strength Elsa had not to reply back. Instead she forced herself to delete the messages. She had to leave that part of her life behind her. She couldn't stay in contact anymore. It was just something she had to do.

Elsa's thoughts were interrupted by the door of her apartment opening and three people came in carrying boxes. The first to enter was a girl with short black hair with a streak of purple in it. She was wearing a short leather jacket over a white t-shirt and three quarter black pants and black and blue sneakers. Next to her was a tall blonde girl that had long hair that fell to her hips. Her blonde hair had a pink head band it in and her blonde hair matched the lemon yellow dress and her oversize lemon yellow cardigan that was hanging loosely. Over her shoulder was a tan bag that had numerous science stickers on it. The third girl was another blonde. Elsa was now starting to think that the girl with black hair was in the wrong dorm. The third girl was wearing heavy tan jacket that was over a white t-shirt. She wore ripped jeans and sneakers. Her hair was done in a braid that hung down her back.

"Hello," the girl wearing the lemon outfit. She pushed back her very big and round pink glasses back onto her nose as they dangling at the end of her nose.

"Hello," Elsa said smiling at her. "I guess you guys are my new roommates."

"Yes," the same girl said. "I am Honey Lemon."

 _Honey Lemon_? Elsa thought that name sounded a bit strange but she decided not to say anything about it.

"Elsa Winters," Elsa replied, "and the rest of you are?"

"Gogo Tomago," the girl with black hair said while chewing some gum.

 _Gogo_? Who named these kids? But again, Elsa decided not say anything about it.

"Astrid Hofferman," the last girl said.

"Nice to meet you all."

* * *

Jack threw himself onto his couch and stared into space. He couldn't stop thinking about that Elsa girl for some reason. What was he doing? He had a girlfriend for crying out loud and a pretty decent one too.

"So looks like Jacky has a small crush on the girl across the hall," Tooth said in this very annoying sing song voice.

"Do not!" Jack snapped back at her.

"Ooo! Someone is touchy!"

"Who's touchy?" Tadashi and his younger brother Hiro both walked into their dorm room. Hiro would normally be a bit too young to be starting university at the mere age of fourteen but he was a very smart boy. Tadashi grabbed a coke from their fridge and sat back down next to Jack.

"Jack is," Tooth said.

"Why?"

"Because he's starting to get a crush on the girl across the hall," Tooth explained.

"I hope it's not Honey!" Tadashi started blushing. He would never admit it but he was madly in love with Honey. Everyone knew it except Honey who remained oblivious to how Tadashi felt. Jack felt like locking them in a room and only open it when they admitted their feelings for each other. He felt like the same way with Tooth and Bunnymund. The sexual tension with those two were sometimes so much that Jack expected for them to rip each other's clothes off and start making out.

"It's not Honey, you're safe," Tooth laughed.

"Well if it's Astrid, Hiccup will kill you and he's from a Viking linage so he could probably do it," Tadashi said taking a sip of his coke. Hiccup and Astrid had been together for just over a year now. Everyone knew that they were going to go the distance.

"Hiccup couldn't beat me in a fight even if he wanted to," Jack muttered. "He only has one leg."

"Stop mocking him on that," Tooth said.

"Sorry can't," Jack shrugged. "He wanted to do the historical re-enactment of the battle against Red Death – like there were ever dragons where he came from."

Tooth sighed. "Like you can mock him. You're the one who got knocked out for three hours."

"That was because Bunnymund didn't watch where he was going!"

"Hey don't bring me into this," Bunnymund suddenly said.

"Okay, okay," Tooth said. "We'll go back to what we were discussing before."

"Oh god," Jack said. He tried to slide down the couch as if that would make him invisible. It didn't work.

"So who's this girl?" Tadashi asked.

"I actually don't know her name," Tooth looked disappointed. She turned to Jack. "What's her name?"

"Like I would tell you," Jack said. Tooth gave him a look until Jack gave up. "Fine, her name is Elsa."

Everyone was giving him a smirk. Jack didn't like the way they were looking at him.

"What?" he snapped.

"The way you said Elsa," smirked Tooth.

"How did I say it?" Jack was suddenly annoyed.

"It was all dream like," Bunnymund sniggered.

"Shut up!" Jack threw a pillow at him. It smacked him squarely in the face. Jack felt satisfaction from the smack. "I have a girlfriend after all."

"She obviously wasn't on your brain today," Bunnymund sniggered.

Jack scowled at his friend.

 **A/N: So Elsa POV of Jack - looks like either can't stop thinking about each other! Also Elsa meets her roommates. I wonder how they're gonna get along? Also the reactions of the Winters, hmm, some anger and sadness there. Anyway, I hope that everyone this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **ZERO-xxx: Yeah I am the same. I do prefer it when they get along but this is a new take on it. However I do feel like the Anna drama is justifiable though as this is what she thinks. But the exposition will be a relief moment. Yes Jack is in the picture at last!**

 **Spy rise: Thanks! I'll be sure too!**

 **Jemepo: Indeed. I wonder how you imagined it to go.**

 **Razerfang: Agreed. The doctor's moment will come.**

 **QueenMaylinaCandy8: Thanks! Yes, Jack is here! It is going to get better but I will say, not for a while. The drama is great. But yes, will get better.**

 **Guest: Well she couldn't handle her anger anymore and lashed out.**

 **Jack Frost 1345: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Aw, thanks! Glad you liked my style.**

 **Silent Reader: Yes Elsa is free! Yeah, she really thought it through. Yes, poor Anna and Elsa, going through rough times. Yes the friendship shall bloom into something. We shall have to wait for that. Thanks!**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! Yeah I feel bad too. Yes! Jack is here!**

 **Guest (MixyBell): 1. I am happy too! 2. The story will not end that way.**

 **sanaa11: Yeah she is. I am glad she's free too! Yay, Jack's here!**

 **Guest: Yeah she has to leave. Giving you more! The sisters will hopefully mend and maybe (wink wink it will wink wink).**

 **Guest: Yeah my thoughts on the event. Something like that will happen. But will it be Anna who finds it? And will she believe it?**

 **Acceptable Gentleman: Thanks so much. Haha, I feel flattered that you are checking your emails every day for this story and are getting obsessed. Yeah I hope they will get better too. I have exams soon too. University is annoying me.**


	10. First Week

**Chapter 10: First Week**

"That's the last of it," Elsa said.

She was in Honey's room and was helping her unpack her things. All four girls had all pitched a hand in helping each other unpack. As they were doing so, Elsa learnt some pretty interesting things about her new roommates. For starters, they were all old friends – just coming off completing high school together. Astrid had been ecstatic to learn that Elsa was from Scandinavia as her family hailed from there. One of the main areas of discussion was about this boy called Tadashi who lived across the hall – to Elsa, that meant that he lived with Jack (why couldn't Elsa get that boy out of her head?). Honey kept blushing whenever his name was mentioned and Gogo kept snickering. It didn't take a genius to figure out why; Honey was obviously likes this guy Tadashi. Elsa couldn't help but let a smile come over her face.

The door opened just as the five girls flopped down on the couch. A boy with near shoulder length brown hair walked into the room. He was shorter than Elsa – Elsa could probably have rested her head on top of his – and he was wearing a thick leather jacket. Astrid looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey," she gave him a small kiss on his cheek. Elsa figured that his guy was more than just her friend. "Guys this is my boyfriend, Hiccup."

 _Hiccup_? That was the first thing to come to Elsa's mind but she didn't say anything. Instead she smiled and shook Hiccup's hand.

"The full name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," he said rather smugly.

"His real name is Harold," Astrid rolled her eyes. "Hiccup is just what he likes to call himself."

"Astrid," Hiccup moaned. Elsa had to stifle a laugh. Maybe he hated his real name. "Anyway I came to tell you that place you were looking at is hiring."

"Oh yay," Astrid said. She turned to her roommates. "Anyone want to come and look for jobs? I want Netflix and that costs money."

Everyone laughed at Astrid but Elsa realised something. She didn't have her parents' money here to fall back on. She was no longer an heiress. She may have 'borrowed' some of it to get a ticket here but whatever money she had saved was going to be used up sooner or later. There were quite a few costs living here; textbooks, food, power, water…the list goes on and on.

"I work in the robotics lab," Gogo said. "Professor Callaghan has me fixing stuff. So I have a job."

"I signed up for tutoring," Honey gushed. "Some high school kids are going to get me to tutor them in Chemistry and Maths."

"What about you Elsa?" Astrid said.

"Yeah I'll come," Elsa said.

She grabbed her jacket and purse before heading out the door with Astrid. Hiccup said his goodbyes to Astrid before he headed into Jack's room. Elsa's eyes stared at the door for a few moments while they waited for the elevator. The sound of the elevator door opening brought her back to her senses. Elsa stepped into the elevator with Astrid just in front of her. Astrid pushed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed. An awkward silence engulfed them. Elsa didn't really know what to say. She was never good with making conversation. She had a tough time making conversation with Rapunzel and they were best friends. Elsa cast her mind around for a topic. Her mind landed on Hiccup.

"So Hiccup seems nice," Elsa said, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah he is," Astrid smiled at Elsa.

"How long have you guys been together?"

"About a year," Astrid shrugged. She smiled again. "What about you? Any guys back home got your interest?"

"No," Elsa said. Truth be told, Elsa had never really felt herself attracted to anyone back home. She didn't know why. Probably because the only guys she hung out with were Kristoff and Eugene. However her mind was still on that guy Jack. Why was she constantly thinking about him? She had only just met him for crying out loud. She didn't know the first thing about him.

"That's too bad," Astrid said as they stepped out of the elevator. "Come on, the place I want to go is this way."

Astrid directed Elsa in the direction of what she had said was called 'The Quad' – basically it was a large place where students could hang out, get food and a lot of shops were around. Quite a few of these shops had a 'help needed' sign in the window. Astrid took Elsa down the main pathway of The Quad. Elsa wanted to check everything. She wished she had eight more eyes. There was just so much to see. Astrid constantly tutted and grabbed her arm to pull her along. She was clearly growing more and more impatient.

Eventually Astrid simply just led Elsa through The Quad. They came to an outside area where there was a large area where students were sitting at tables, drinking coffees and eating muffins. They were sitting outside a large coffee which read 'Coffee At Burgess'. There was a 'help wanted' sign in the window. Astrid pulled Elsa into the coffee shop and up to the main counter.

"Can I help you?" a boy around Elsa's age smiled at them. "Would you like coffee? Muffin? Brownie?"

"We're actually here about the 'help wanted' sign in the window," Astrid jerked her thumb in the direction of it.

"Ah yes, that," the boy smiled.

"Can we see the manager?" Astrid asked.

"Of course," the boy turned round and shouted for the manager. A tall skinny boy with black hair to match his black eyes came into view. He was wearing a green apron with the café's logo on the front and with a shiny name badge pinned to it.

"You girls about the job?" the boy seemed friendly but his voice was cold and distance.

"Yes," Astrid said. "I hear there are two openings."

"Indeed there is," the manager said. "So you guys are?"

"Oh I'm Astrid Hofferman," Astrid said. There was a silence that followed Astrid. Elsa then realised that both the manager and Astrid was looking at her. Astrid gave her a small nudge with her foot. Elsa realised that she was supposed say her name.

"Oh I'm Elsa, Elsa Winters," Elsa quickly said.

"Excellent," the manager said. "My name is Pitch Black."

* * *

Anna walked down the corridors of her school. She was still numb from the entire experience. Everything that had happened was still too much for her – her father's death, the trial and then the confrontation with her sister. This was probably going to haunt her for the rest of her life. It was never going to leave her. It will follow her around until the end of time. She couldn't get it out of her head.

Anna hopped up on a window sill in a large sunlight corridor. She hugged her knees and placed her chin on them. She stared out of the window. She could see a group of girls playing cricket. One girl hit the cricket ball that was coming towards her. The ball soared high into the air. The two batsmen ran back and forwards a few times but it didn't matter. The ball flew through the air into the hands of one of the fielders who made a brilliant leap and catch. Her team cheered while the batsman's team groaned. Anna let a small come over her face. She enjoyed watching the catch.

The bell that signalled the end of class could be heard. Anna hadn't gone to class. The headmistress had told Anna that she could have a few days off while she settled back into school. She had only been back at school for about a day. Already, Anna felt horrible. She didn't feel like doing mathematical equations or chemical reactions. Anna groaned into her knees. These days she just wanted to curl up into a ball and just groan and leave the world behind her.

"Anna!" Zoë, Céline and Audrey came running down the corridor towards her.

"Hey," Anna smiled back.

"We didn't know you were back," Audrey said.

"Yeah," Anna shrugged. "Just had to get back, y'know?"

"How are you feeling?" Zoë placed her head on Anna's thigh.

"I don't know," Anna shrugged. "I want to kill my sister. That's how I feel."

"She was defending herself," Zoë said. "Wasn't she?"

"So she says," Anna said in a small voice.

"Come on," Céline said. "We have a study break. Why don't you come and have lunch with us?"

"Sure," Anna shrugged again.

Maybe having lunch with her friends was exactly what she needed.

* * *

Elsa and Astrid walked out of the coffee shop with big grins plastered all over their faces. The manager, Pitch Black, seemed to like the pair of them as he had given them both a look up and down, gave them a few questions and listened to their answers before giving them both a job. Elsa had been surprised that she got hired based off the fact she had zero experience as she had been using all her time to get good grades rather than experience. Astrid had some work experience – she used to work in a stationary shop in her last year of school. Together they headed back to their dorm room. That was when Elsa saw him again; Jack.

He was standing outside his dorm room chatting to the friends that Elsa had seen him with before. As Elsa walked by, he called to her. Elsa stopped, turned around and got a grin on her face.

"Elsa," Jack said. "It's good to see you again."

"You too neighbour," Elsa grinned. Seriously, what was up with the way she was feeling? It was like Jack was infected and her immune system couldn't fight him off. He was slowly infecting her cells, her entire body and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening.

"Oh these are my friends," Jack said. "That's Tooth," he pointed to small skinny girl with blue hair with green streaks. When her name was called, Tooth smiled with brilliant teeth. "That's Sandy," he pointed to a smaller boy with golden colour hair, "and that's Bunnymund." The last one was built like a rugby player and had brunet hair.

"Hey guys," Elsa waved at them.

"We're just about to go get something for lunch," Jack said. "You want to join?"

"No thanks, already eaten" Elsa replied. She didn't know why she was saying no. She hadn't eaten and she was starving but something in her gut was making her feel nervous. "You guys go though. There are some good places around here. I'm sure you'll find one that would take your fancy."

"Oh, okay," Jack said. For some reason he looked a little disappointed.

"Maybe, next time though?" Elsa quickly added.

This brightened Jack up. "Sure!"

"Okay then," Elsa said before she waved goodbye to them and entered her dorm room. Astrid was on the couch grinning from ear to ear. Elsa found this grin to be utterly annoying. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Astrid said. There was silence. "Do you have a thing for Frosty?"

"What!" Elsa exclaimed. "No way!"

"You do," Astrid said. "I can see it written on your face."

"I have nothing written on my face," Elsa said.

"I'd be careful if I was you though," Astrid said. "There is something you should know."

At that moment, Honey and some guy with jet black hair came into the room and interrupted their conversation. The boy was wearing a t-shirt that had humans being abducted by sheep in UFOs. Elsa couldn't help but giggle at the t-shirt.

"Guys this is Tadashi," Honey said.

"Hi," Elsa said. Tadashi's arrival drove whatever Astrid was going to say right out of Elsa's mind.

* * *

Jack and his friends made their way the next day to their usual coffee hang out. They had already been at BU for a couple of weeks and already decided on a place. Jack liked the way it smelled and the food was superb.

"Whatcha going to order?" Tooth asked.

"The usual," Bunnymund said. "He always gets the same thing whenever we come here."

"Is that a bad thing?" Jack snapped. "Just says that I know what I like."

They sat down at a table after they ordered. Jack didn't join in Tooth's and Bunnymund's conversation about what courses they were doing this year. Jack sighed as he looked around the café. The usual people were swarming around as if they were insects. People were laughing and chatting about all kinds of things that Jack couldn't hear over the constant stream of noise that was surrounding him.

Jack rested his chin on his palm as he gazed out of the window next to their table. A couple of students outside were laughing and holding ice creams. He wondered what they were talking about.

"So we need a party," Jack suddenly heard Bunnymund say in his Aussie accent.

"What?" Jack jerked his head around to face his friend. "A party?"

"Yeah," Bunnymund said. "Next weekend."

"Oh, I guess," Jack said. "Won't university have started by then?"

"So?"

"Good point."

"Hey guys!" the voice of Jack's girlfriend, Jules, suddenly could be heard. Jules sat down next to Jack and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. "What have we been talking about? I heard something about a party."

"Yes," Bunnymund grinned. "Next weekend."

"Excellent! Time to party like it's 1999!"

"Order up!" that voice was familiar to Jack. He looked up and saw that Elsa was carrying a tray of drinks while wearing the uniform of the employees. Jack was surprised to see her here. He didn't know she was looking for a job. "Hey guys," she grinned when she saw them all smiling at her.

"Hey Elsa!" they all said.

Elsa handed them all their drinks in front of all of them.

"So are you coming to our party next week?" Bunnymund asked.

"Party?" Elsa sounded a little confused. "I'm not allowed to go to parties," Jack was sure he heard her mutter but he wasn't sure so he didn't comment on it.

"So you in or not?" Bunnymund asked.

"I don't know," Elsa quickly left and Jack wondered what was on her mind. She had started to look like she was frazzle and Jack didn't know why. Jules was starting to say something which made Jack switch his focus from Elsa to Jules.

* * *

Elsa returned home after a particular gruelling day at work. She couldn't believe she had been in Burgess for nearly four days now. She had enjoyed all four days of them. Somehow, she had managed to forget all that she was running from. Elsa sighed as she entered her dorm room. Pitch, her boss, had worked her hard due to the big shift. Astrid had the day off, so she had spent it with Honey and Gogo. They were in their robotics lab working on some project or another. Elsa didn't really know.

Elsa stepped into the shower and started to wash the grime from the day. As she let the water splash down onto her, she reflected on what tomorrow would bring her. It would be her first day of a new semester at a brand new university in a brand new town in a brand new country. Scared and nervousness didn't even cut it. What would she encounter there? Back home, she had her family and friends to help her but here, well she did have friends but they weren't like her old ones. They were new and new wasn't always a good thing but she felt something that she had never felt before. Here, she was free to be whatever she wanted to be. Not something that someone else wanted her to be. Maybe this new thing could work out for her. Maybe it could be the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Once she stepped out of the shower, she caught sight of her back in the bathroom mirror. The scars of her history could be clearly seen. Elsa just stood there, staring at them. It was a reminder that her past would always be here to haunt her. Elsa saw a figure standing behind her; it was her father again. Elsa didn't turn around. She forced herself to remember that he was not real – that he was dead. He didn't move until Elsa closed her eyes – tightly. When she opened them again, he was gone. This was the second time this had happened. Was he going to haunt her for the rest of her life?

She just stood there as she stared at the scars reflected in the mirror. She just stared at them for several minutes. She didn't even realise that she was cold, wet and naked. It wasn't until she heard someone banging on her door did Elsa realise this.

"Elsa!" came Astrid's voice. "I need to get in there! My special shampoo is in there and I need to be spic and span for my date with Hiccup tonight."

"Can you wait a second?" Elsa said. She tore her eyes around looking for her towel. She didn't have a change of clothes. She just threw off her old, dirty clothes that had coffee stains all over them and stepped into the shower.

"No!" Astrid continued to bang on the door. "Let me in!"

"One second!"

"No! I'm already late! I'm coming in!"

Elsa barely had enough time to make sure she was covered. She threw her towel around her body just as Astrid came into the room – Elsa had been so tired that she had forgotten to lock the door. Astrid burst in and started to look for her shampoo. Elsa then realised that some of her scars were still showing on the very top of her back. If Astrid looked up into the mirror or even looked in Elsa's direction, she could potentially see her scars. Elsa tried to move the towel up but it was impossible.

"Where is it?" Astrid kept muttering to herself. She kept searching the bathroom; picking up bottles and examining them.

"Is this it?" Elsa held up a bottle. Astrid stared at it and she lit up.

"That's it!" she said in her delight. She grabbed the bottle and quickly dashed out the bathroom, shutting the door as she went,

Elsa just collapsed on the floor where she was. That had been close – too close even. She didn't want Astrid finding out and asking questions. In fact; Elsa didn't want anyone to know. She wanted to keep that part of her in her past. She needed to keep the past in the past where it belonged. Elsa picked herself up from the floor and walked to her bedroom – leaving little water drops as she walked.

She got changed into her pyjamas and rested on her bed. She didn't know how long she lay there. She just stared up the ceiling. There wasn't anything interesting on her ceiling but she just stared at it nonetheless. She sighed. Her eyes slowly closed and sleep soon washed over her.

 _"_ _Elsa you are so fucking useless! You can't do anything right!"_

 _A hand went across her face. Elsa fell down onto the ground. A hand grabbed her and pulled her up. The hand forced her to slam against the wall of her house. Elsa's head smashed against it and her vison blurred. A sharp pain in her head was felt and it hurt._

 _"_ _You think that you're always right? But you're not! You are nothing!"_

 _The hand started to chock her, to block all oxygen from getting to her body. Elsa struggled against it. She couldn't breathe. Blackness was threatening to engulf her._

Elsa suddenly sat up in her bed, breathing very heavily. Her heart was hamming so hard, she thought it would rip straight out of her chest. Elsa's hand went to her throat – to see if it was alright. She forced herself to calm down. It was just a dream, she told herself again and again. She looked at the clock. It told her that it was fourteen minutes past two in the morning. Her alarm was set to go off in just over four hours. She lay back down on her pillow and stared back at the ceiling. Sleep was out of the question tonight.

Elsa tossed and turned for the rest of the night but she never went back to sleep. Her alarm went off right on time. It took Elsa a few seconds to register that it had gone off. She quickly turned it off and lay in bed. She was exhausted. Sleep had eluded her and especially on a day she would need all the sleep she could get. Eventually, she decided that it was time to get up and out of bed.

The word that Elsa would use to describe her day would be chaos. Breakfast was an utter mess as four girls tried to make themselves some food or something to snack on before they headed out of the door to get to their classes. Elsa found Honey trying to put her jacket, Gogo stealing her toast and to cap it all off, she couldn't find any of her books that she had bought a couple of days ago. Turns out, Honey thought they were Astrid's and put them in her room. So calling breakfast an utter mess may have been bang on.

Chaos didn't stop happening. Elsa couldn't find any of her classes. She raced around the campus trying to locate them. The University of Burgess seemed like a shiny city but it was a maze. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. She would go to one building thing it was the law building but it would turn out to be the science building. Elsa was nearly late three times to class because she couldn't locate them. The third time it happened, she walked into the class with the lecturer mid-sentence. Exhaustion was also a major player in Elsa's already hectic day. Elsa nearly fell asleep in her law lecture. The lecturer had been talking about what the course was about then suddenly the lecturer was talking about a case and Elsa had no idea what was happening. When Elsa got home, she collapsed on her bed. Sleep washed over her instantly. Even though she hadn't had dinner, even though she hadn't done her readings for the next day, she fell asleep.

The rest of the week passed in the same way. Elsa would get up, go to class and then go to the library to do work. Elsa wanted this to work. She didn't want to surrender and go home. She couldn't go home. She needed this to work. She needed to be exceptional. Elsa stopped when she thought of this. She sounded a lot like her father. He was always telling her that she needed to be better than the best, to be the shining light in the darkness. Elsa would like for once in her life for it to be okay to be average. But that wasn't going to do here. She needed to work hard, to strive forward. In order to follow her dream into law, she needed a certain GPA and she wasn't going to get that by being average.

Friday came and this came at a relief to Elsa. She was glad to see the weekend. It was about time that it came. Whenever Elsa wasn't in class, she would be in the library and that's where she found herself that Friday evening. Elsa had her headphones into her computer as she typed up her notes. Her playlist was playing hits from the 80's, 90's and early 2000's. She was already jamming to some Kylie Minogue. She was half way through the song I Should Be So Lucky when she noticed the time. It was half past eight. Elsa quickly packed up everything and quickly raced back to her dorm room. She was late. She was very late. How could she let the time go by so quickly? Elsa burst into her dorm room at ten to nine.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Elsa quickly said.

"Are you talking to me?" the voice was female and not male. Elsa looked up and realised that she wasn't in her home. She wasn't looking at her father. She wasn't late. She was in Burgess and not in Arendelle. Her father wasn't the one sitting on the couch. It was Astrid. She was looking at her with chips in her hand. They were in mid-flight as if they had just been grabbed from the bag and were on the way to her mouth.

"Yes…?" Elsa wasn't quite sure on how she should respond.

"Well you're not late," Astrid was giving her a questioning look as if she herself didn't know how to respond.

"I'm getting dinner," Elsa said opening the fridge door and getting her pasta from last night out of the fridge. Thankfully Elsa could cook. The number of days that she had to cook for her father had given her a decent cooking level. The others were asking Elsa to cook practically every meal as they couldn't cook like she could.

"I'm going out," Astrid said as she finished up with her chips. "I'm meeting Hiccup for dinner."

"Okay," Elsa said. She didn't even turnaround from what she was doing. She just kept piling pasta into her bowl and placed it into the microwave. She set the timer and when it beeped, she took it out and placed it at the table. Elsa watched Astrid grab her coat and head out the door. It took Elsa a few moments to realise what was going on. She didn't have some overbearing, abusive father anymore. She could do whatever she wanted. She didn't have to explain herself to anyone, she didn't have a curfew and she didn't have to ask for permission anymore.

Her life was hers now.

For the first time in many, _many_ , years, Elsa actually smiled. She actually smiled. Elsa threw her coat onto the couch, grabbed her stereo and turned the music up really loud. She started to dance around her kitchen while attempting to cook her dinner. She almost burnt her food while she was dancing to YMCA. Thankfully, she got to them in time. She just had burnt food for dinner. It was in the middle of the song Staying Alive when the door opened and Gogo and Honey came through the door. They took one look at the stove which clearly showed evidence that Elsa hadn't successfully managed to cook her dinner. Gogo raised her eyebrows at Elsa.

"What?" Elsa said. "I got distracted."

"Obviously," she said. Gogo took off her scarf and hanged it by the door. She started to clear up Elsa's mess by shoving all the dishes into the dishwasher. She kept giving Elsa a look and each time Elsa quickly adverted her gaze.

Honey had taken a seat next to Elsa and folded her arms. She looked excited about something. Elsa had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with a black haired boy called Tadashi. When she had met him, she thought he was pretty cool. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he liked Honey and she liked him back. Apparently the two geniuses themselves still didn't know. This always made Elsa chuckle a little bit. Her attention returned to Honey. She was fidgety and was tapping the kitchen table. If Elsa didn't know any better, she had something she really wanted to say.

"Can I help you?" Elsa said to her friend before she took a sip of her coffee.

"Tadashi invited me to Jack's party," Honey blurted out.

"He invited me too," Gogo said.

"So you both are going to the party?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah," Gogo said. "So is Astrid and Hiccup. Practically all our friends are going. What about you?"

"Haven't decided," Elsa smiled as he drank more from her coffee. She had initially been against going as she had that fear of returning home late but now, she didn't need to have that fear. Despite that, it still hung over her like a dark cloud threatening her with rain.

"I would go if I was you," Gogo said. "It's said to be the party of the year."

"Hmm, I'm not really a party person," Elsa said. This was true. The only parties she was allowed to go to was if it was a sit down dinner with a preapproved guest list. However, a fun party did seem like a fun idea which was probably why Elsa was outside Jack's door an hour later. Elsa hesitated in knocking. Her fist was hovering over the metal numbers when she stopped. Could she be making a big mistake? Parties weren't exactly her thing. But this was Burgess, not Arendelle. New city, new Elsa. It was time for her to do some fun stuff for one in her life. She rapped sharply on the door a few times. Jack opened the door after a few seconds had gone by. Elsa stopped dead when she saw Jack. He was shirtless.

Elsa couldn't help but stare. Jack looked like he had been photoshopped. That was how good he looked. Jack leaned against the door and folded his arms. He was staring at Elsa too. He was chuckling himself.

"May I help you?" he said.

"I just wanted to tell you that I will be coming to the party tomorrow," Elsa blurted out. "Just thought you ought to know."

"Excellent," Jack grinned.

"Jack?" came a voice from behind Elsa.

Elsa turned around and saw a woman around her age standing behind her. Like her, she had blonde hair but it wasn't as long as hers. This girl's hair touched her shoulders. She wasn't as tall as Elsa. Elsa could have rested her head on top of her head. Her green eyes were staring into Elsa's blue ones. She adjusted her black cardigan across her body as she looked at the scene before her.

"Hi Jules," Jack said to her. "Oh this is my friend Elsa. She is just informing me that she can come to the party tonight."

"Oh excellent," the woman called Jules said. "So you are Elsa. Jack's told me a bit about you. I'm so glad to meet you."

Jules reached out to shake Elsa's hand which she did so looking very confused as she did so. She was sure that Jules had been one of the gang that had been at the café on some of the days she had been working.

"So how do you know Jack?" Elsa asked casually.

"Oh I'm his girlfriend," she said smiling.

Girlfriend? The word echoed around Elsa's head. Her heart started to sink and it sunk right into her stomach. She hadn't realised he had one. The way he had talked to her, Elsa would have sworn that he had been flirting with her. Guess not. She could feel jealously starting to rise within her. She forced it back down into the pit of her stomach so that Jack wouldn't guess that she was being jealous.

"Oh," Elsa said trying not to let her disappointment show. "For how long?"

"Oh for about a year now," Jules said. "We went to school together, friends for ages and then one day, Jack asks me out."

"Most nervous I have ever been," Jack said giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Oh okay," Elsa said, not really sure what else she should say. "So anyway, I really have to go. Just wanted to say that I was going to come tomorrow."

"Wicked," Jack grinned at her causing her heart to skip a beat despite Elsa not wanting it to.

"So I'm gonna go," Elsa gestured in the direction of her apartment.

"Okay," Jack said.

Elsa headed back into her apartment, trying to not to let her disappointment show. Once she got into the apartment, she collapsed into the couch. The jealously she was feeling was starting to take its toll inside her. She couldn't be upset about this news. She just couldn't be. Otherwise it would be admitting that she potentially liked Jack.

"Okay, now what?" Gogo said as she noticed Elsa.

"Nothing," Elsa said quickly. She wasn't used to discussing her problems with people especially not people she had only known for two weeks. The door opened at that moment and Astrid and Hiccup entered. Great, Elsa thought, more people to come into this conversation and especially Astrid who already knew about Elsa's feelings towards a certain blonde. This was just not her day.

"Oh come on," Honey said. "You can tell us."

"Tell what?" Astrid asked taking a seat next to Honey at the table while Hiccup stood next to her.

"Nothing," Elsa firmly repeated.

"Is it Jack?" Astrid said.

"Jack?" the word was echoed among the group in the kitchen.

"Ah," Honey said, catching on. "You like Jack, don't you?"

How did she figure that out but not Tadashi feelings for herself? Elsa let out a groan. She didn't like where this was going.

"No!" Elsa said firmly but it only confirmed Honey's suspicions.

"Elsa likes Jack?" Hiccup said looking confused. "How do you know?"

"Call it woman's intuition," Honey gave Hiccup a wink.

"So I gather by that look, you discovered that Jack has a girlfriend," Astrid said as Hiccup placed a cup of coffee in front of her. Guess that had been what Astrid had tried to tell her the other day. "So, jealousy is flowing through you?"

"I'm not jealous," Elsa snapped at her. She didn't want to discuss this. She just wanted this conversation to be over with. Elsa got to her feet. She didn't like it when people tried to poke into her life. "I'm going to bed."

"Someone's jealous," sang Honey while the rest of them sniggered.

"Oh shut up," Elsa called back before she entered her own bedroom.

Elsa flopped down onto her bed after she shut her bedroom door. Was she jealous? She barely knew Jack but yet, her heart always skipped a beat whenever she came near him and she always got a flutter in her stomach when he smiled at her. Could she like him and not just in a friend way? It is possible. She had never liked anyone like that before and so this was all new to her. Well maybe, if she did have a crush on Jack, the fact that he has girlfriend may help her get over him. That's if she did want to get over him and to be honest, she wasn't sure that she did.

Elsa's eyes closed and dreamland was soon upon her.

 _"_ _You need to learn your place!" her father yelled at her._

 _"_ _No please dad, no," Elsa begged but it was of no use. Her father just advanced on her._

 _He picked up a hot poker from the fireplace and jammed it into her exposed back. Elsa let out a yelp of pain as the poker burn immensely into her skin. When her father finally removed it, a searing pain in her back could be felt throughout her entire body. Elsa shakily collapsed onto the ground as her father stood over her. He started to smile, quite evilly. He dropped the poker onto the grate and Elsa heard a loud clattering noise._

 _"_ _I hope that you have now learnt your lesson," he snarled._

 _Elsa nodded as her tears streamed down her face and onto her t-shirt. She didn't dare let her father see her like this._

 _"_ _Now get out of my sight," her father barked at her._

 _Elsa didn't know if she could move but she forced herself to. She hurried out of the room, tripping slightly as she did. She rushed to the bathroom and into the shower. She quickly turned on the cold water and let it splash over her body. She didn't care if she was fully clothed, she didn't care if the water was painful; all that she cared about was making sure that the burn stopped hurting._

 _Elsa shivered slightly as the cold water soaked through her. She just let the cold water soak into her skin. Why must her father do this to her? What had she ever done to her? This couldn't be just about her mother's death. It had to be about a lot more than that. Could it be possible that her father actually hated her? If she asked her father about any of this, he would just throw her down the stairs. The mere mention of her mother would cause her to be locked in her bedroom for a month. Elsa just buried her head in her knees and allowed the water to wash away her tears._

"Elsa?" a voice suddenly awoke Elsa from her dream. She soon realised that voice wasn't in her dream but was coming from outside her room. Elsa's eyes flicked open and saw that Astrid was standing in her doorway. The light from the hall flooded into her room and illumined Astrid. "You okay?" Astrid continued when she saw that Elsa had awoken – somewhat groggily.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Elsa sat up and leaned against her headboard.

"You were shouting in your sleep," Astrid looked concerned.

"Just a bad dream," Elsa forced a smile. "Everything is fine. Trust me."

"Okay," Astrid said. "Have a good sleep."

Astrid shut the door behind her and Elsa lay back down on her bed. She somehow figured that Astrid didn't believe her. Elsa sighed as she looked at the clock. It read ten past midnight. Jack's party was in about twenty hours. She still felt a little excited at this thought. It was one of her first parties but Jack's girlfriend was going to be there. Well, she would just have to get by that. She sighed again as she looked up at her ceiling.

Minutes went by and Elsa couldn't fall asleep. She was afraid to. Her nightmare was still burning within her brain. Elsa groaned.

She needed help.

 **A/N: Hey all! I'm back! Sorry an update took so long. I've been studying for my exams which are now over - thank god and now I'm finally finished for the year (YAY) and into summer holidays (YAY). But now onto the story. Two points I wish to go over as I found from reading reviews that a lot of you have questions. First off, Jack's girlfriend - I mentioned her at the end of chapter eight. She's just an OC. Also onto Astrid. When I first started writing this, I wasn't going to include any HTTYD characters but now I have as they fitted in this story. As so not to cause anymore confusion, Elsa's cousin Astrid will only be in Arendelle and Astrid Hofferman will only be in Burgess. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest (MixyBell): Sorry for not updating! I had exams. Onto your points 1) yep, Astrid isn't her cousin 2) read the A/N for more infomation.**

 **Charllote64: Thanks so much! It may take a while before Anna finds out. Maybe you might just have to wait and see if your questions are answered. Yes, Jack!**

 **Gracialoveme: Thanks! Hans isn't really going to be much in this story. So he's not going to be featured much. Also, I think I may have finally come to a decision.**

 **ZERO-XXX: Yeah I do enjoy that too. I do enjoy Honey as well. Jack's girlfriend was mentioned in chapter 8 but I think this is her formally introduced chapter.**

 **sia-gomo01: Anna is being a bit of a bitch but I can see why she acts that way - she thinks her sister murdered her father after all. Elsa didn't tell as she didn't want anyone to know. More Jelsa to come! South Africa huh? Did you see the RWC? The New Zealand VS South African game was a close one.**

 **Guest: No, sorry for the confusion.**

 **RoyalElsajack880: Thanks! It may take a while before Anna finds out the truth.**

 **Guest: Thanks so much! Glad that you understand why Anna is being a bitch. Her motives were simply not to cause more trouble - could it be that Anna still cares for Elsa? Who knows? Anna may or may not be the one to solve everything. You might just have to keep reading.**

 **Jemepo: Jack's girlfriend is just an OC: See my A/N for more details.**

 **ziabee99: Yes indeed, Jelsa! Thanks! It was a bit emotional. Yes, of course I love Idina Menzel! I never got to see her in Wicked (so sad but I have seen Wicked and it was amazing!). Jack's girlfriend is just an OC - at the end of chapter 8 was when she was mentioned, see my A/N for more information. I do love reading reviews no matter what length they are. Feel free to make your reviews as long as you like. Besides, I have been enjoying reading your life story.**

 **Guest: Thanks! Hmm, bad timing? Too fast? Hmm, I didn't think so, it just seemed to flow for me.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! I feel bad for Anna too. Elsa may or may not have better future. May just have to wait and see.**

 **sanaa11: Yeah they are but there's someone in the way, unfortunately. Yeah, I do hate Anna a bit but she's just acting the way she sees the situation. She'll get better.**

 **Silent reader: Thanks. Yeah, at the moment, they have a bad relationship but hopefully it will recover. I have a big sister too.**

 **Pinkcatsnowflake: Thanks! Always glad to see that readers are being left with questions - always happy to answer any and all questions. Jack's girlfriend is just an OC - see my A/N for more details.**

 **Jack Frost 1345: I do too! Yep - it was mentioned in the previous chapter that he lost his leg.**


	11. A Drunken Night

**Chapter 11: A Drunken Night**

The bell went which signalled the end of class. Anna got up from behind her desk, swung her bag over her shoulder and left her English classroom carrying a number of books that she had to read for class. Thankfully, English was her last period of the day. She had already suffered through Chemistry, Maths, Business Studies and Art today. The amount of homework she had to do was getting to an all-time high not to mention all the work she had to catch up on. Anna sighed. Maybe she should pull a few all-nighters in order to catch up on anything or maybe beg someone else to help her.

"Hey!" a voice called from behind her. "Anna!"

Anna turned and saw that it was Audrey running towards her. She had just come from her French lesson. Anna smiled when Audrey approached her and Audrey smiled back.

"Yo!" Anna said to her as she gave her a hi-five. "What's up?"

"The sky," laughed Audrey. They set off down the corridor together. "I heard that your boyfriend is back in Arendelle."

"I know," Anna gushed. She had been so excited when Hans had called her the other day to let her know that he would be in town. Anna had already gone through her entire wardrobe trying to find an outfit worth showing off in her dinner date with Hans.

"You going to see him?" asked Audrey.

"You bet I am," nodded Anna. "I'm going down Friday night and seeing him on the Saturday night. So glad that it's a long weekend."

"Sounds like fun," Audrey said.

"Oh it will be. Hans has all kinds of things planned."

"What kinds of things?"

"I guess I'll find out this weekend."

Anna and Audrey headed down to their normal spot – a hiding spot underneath the stairs that led to their common rooms – where Zoë and Céline were waiting for them. The day had finished and everyone was excited for the long weekend. When Anna and Audrey approached they headed up to the dorms together after exchanging some greetings. Everyone was going home. Céline and Audrey were getting picked up by their parents in an hour while Zoë was getting on the same plane that Anna was getting on in a couple of hours. The school had shuttles to the airport and Anna was booked on the one that was leaving in half an hour and she still hadn't packed – unlike the others.

Her friends followed her up to her dorm room which was a mess. She had attempted to pack the night before but then a Netflix marathon had gotten in the way – Anna had discovered Jessica Jones. Zoë took one look at the room and shook her head. Anna could see her rolling her eyes which she didn't bother to conceal. Together they got to work on Anna's room and twenty minutes later, she was packed and ready to go.

"We gotta go," Zoë said. "Otherwise we will miss the bus. It will only wait for so long."

"Agreed," Anna said.

They quickly did some detours around the other girls' rooms before they started to run down to the bus. Their feet raced across the floor as they tried to get to the shuttle before it left. Anna kept looking at her watch. They only had three minutes to get the shuttle on time and they were at least ten minutes away. Anna was doubtful that they would make it on time. This was going to be good practice for Cross Country next year.

Their feet thundered across the courtyard as they ran for the main entry where they were supposed to meet the shuttle. How they were running at full speed with a few heavy bags attached to them, Anna would never know. Perhaps it was the Adrenaline kicking in that was doing the trick. Anna could see the entrance coming closer and close. She looked at her watch again. There was four minutes left till the shuttle left. Could they make it? They all increase their speed – if they could.

They burst through one of the entrances into the main reception area and through the automatic main doors where a crowd of people were waiting outside.

"Cutting it close Winters," a teacher said – a teacher in the music department who Anna had a couple of years ago called Mrs Fellman – who was standing by the bus.

"We know," Anna said through her heavy panting.

They loaded their gear onto the bus and lined up to get onto the bus. Mrs Fellman called for quiet and started a checklist to make sure everyone who was getting onto the bus was the right people. Eventually Mrs Fellman allowed them onto the shuttle bus. Mrs Fellman gave them a smile when they got onto the bus as if to say close call again. Unfortunately due to them being late, they ended up having to separate. Anna and Zoë took two seats that were directly behind where Mrs Fellman and another teacher – Miss Bruder who teaches History – who were making sure that the students behaved themselves. Meanwhile Céline and Audrey headed to two seats way at the back of the bus. Anna and Zoë sat down with Anna taking the window seat.

The shuttle pulled away from the school. Anna slumped up against the window and stared out at her disappearing school. She took out her headphones, plugged them into her iPhone and let the Spice Girls take her off to dreamland when she closed her eyes. She didn't know how long she was out but when she opened her eyes, she found Zoë playing on her 3DS. Zoë saw that she was awake and gave her a smile.

"You dozed off," she said.

"Nah, really?" Anna said sarcastically. They both laughed before Anna continued. "How long was I out?"

"About forty minutes," Zoë said. "Aw come on!" she said to her 3DS. "Your fucking Volbeat knows thunderbolt? Oh fucking hell, there goes my Talonflame."

"Who you're playing?" Anna leaned over to see Zoë attempting to choose what member of her team was next.

"Audrey," Zoë jerked her head behind her. Anna stood up – well attempted – and saw Audrey and Céline huddled together at the back of the bus. Céline had her arms wrapped around one of Audrey's and her head was on Céline's shoulder. Céline was whispering something into Audrey's ear. They laughed about something. Maybe together they had come up with a plan to defeat Zoë.

"They look pretty confident," Anna said.

"Yeah," Zoë turned around in time to see Céline give Audrey a small kiss on the cheek. Usually they wouldn't be so public but everyone was so busy with their own things that they weren't giving them a single second of notice.

"Kick their arses," Anna said before she turned her music back up. There was still half an hour to get to the airport. The traffic was insane at this time of day which was the reason for their journey taking so long.

Eventually the airport came slowly into view. Anna was relieved to see it. Despite everything, she did want to go home. At first, Anna wanted to get away from the place where her father died and everything went to pieces but now, Anna felt like she could go back. It was her home after all. Elsa may have taken her father from her but she wasn't going to get her home too.

When the shuttle came to a stop outside the airport, Anna and the others got off the bus and headed into the airport. Anna followed the mass of students up to the check-in counter. Anna was stuck behind two giggling girls who were gushing over some concert that they were going home to see. Anna looked behind her and saw that Céline and Audrey were deep in conversation. Zoë gave Anna a smile and a sigh. When it was finally, Anna's turn to check into her flight, she couldn't wait to get onto that plane and head home. Thankfully Zoë was on the same flight so at least she would have someone to talk to.

Céline and Audrey's domestic flight was leaving in twenty minutes and so they said goodbye as soon as they were all checked in. They said goodbye as if they wouldn't see each other in weeks rather than just a couple of days. Zoë then suggested that they go get some McDonalds. Anna ordered a Big Mac combo while Zoë went for a double cheeseburger combo. They sat in silence as they ate. Anna looked at her watch as she polished off some of her fries.

"We should get going," she said.

"Yeah," Zoë agreed. "They will be calling us soon."

They got up from their seats – Anna shoving the last of her fries into her mouth – and started to head through security. Once through, they came to a row of shops. Zoë, of course, went straight to a row of magazines in a book store. Zoë loved to read up on the latest gossip about her favourite celebrities. Each week it was a new obsession with a celebrity. Previous celebrities include Kate Middleton, Matt Le Blanc, Chris Evans and Lorde. Last week it was Taylor Swift (she came up a lot) and now it was Lorde again.

"Come on Zoë," Anna said but she wasn't angry or in a rush. She was smiling and laughing instead.

"In a minute," Zoë replied not looking up from the magazine. "There are rumours that Lorde might be doing a free concert while I'm in New Zealand. I need to double check dates." Anna let out a small laugh as Zoë started to flick through some pages. Zoë gasped when she saw something on one of the pages.

"What is so exciting?" Anna asked as she folded her arms.

"Hans in is in this," Zoë was reading through the article. She gasped at something she read. Anna didn't like the look on her face.

"What?" Anna was now curious. Zoë mentioned her boyfriend and Anna was getting more and more interested with every passing second. A voice over the intercom announced that their flight was starting to board but neither one of them cared. "What?" Anna said again when Zoë didn't reply.

"Nothing," Zoë quickly tried to put the magazine back on the shelf but Anna fought for it. Anna managed to grab the magazine from Zoë's hand – nearly ripping it – and looked through it for the article about Hans that Zoë had tried to hide from her. It had to be something bad right? Otherwise why would Zoë try to hide it from her? If it was something good like Hans making some big appearance at a party or Hans' family hosting a charity event, Zoë would have passed the article to her, right?

Anna flicked through page after page about some celebrity doing some random thing. Eventually about half way through the magazine, she found what Zoë had gasped at. Anna had to pull the article closer to her face to make sure what she was reading was actually what she was reading.

"Hans' Night On The Town?" Anna said as she read the news article title. The title had a flashy picture of Hans emerging from some nightclub – in the Southern Isles according to the article – with some blonde girl whose face wasn't shown in the picture as she was looking down at the ground. Anna continued to read the article. According to the article, Hans spent the night out at a club and took a girl home with him for the night.

Anna didn't believe the article. There was no way it could be true. The article was probably either photo shopped or exaggerated. Maybe Hans was giving the girl a lift home or she was a friend who was offered a ride to a party that Hans was putting on. Yes, that had to be it. There was no way that Hans was having some one night stand. He was with her. But there was some nagging doubt inside of her. Anna pushed that away.

"Anna," Zoë's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. "You okay?"

"It's just tabloid trash," Anna said but when she uttered those words, something inside of her didn't believe them. She pushed that feeling deep down within her. She could not doubt Hans now. She was falling for him and she was falling hard. Surely it was just a magazine article and nothing more.

"You sure?" Zoë looked like she didn't believe Anna's words either.

"Yes," Anna said just as an announcement came over the intercom that boarding for their flight was about to close. "Come on," Anna added as Zoë gave her a look. "We gotta get on our flight before we miss it. Home beacons."

Zoë gave her another look but didn't say another world. Instead they walked towards their gate just as the last person in the line to board the flight walked towards the plane. Anna and Zoë rushed up to the flight attendant checking people into the flight. Anna handed over her passport and ticket before walking down the gangway and onto the flight with her friend Zoë right behind her.

The flight from Switzerland to Arendelle wasn't a long one. Anna was soon walking down the gangway into the Arendelle Airport. Waiting for then were Zoë's mother and Anna's Uncle Klaus. Uncle Klaus looked pleased to see Anna. He picked up her bags for her and walked out with her. Anna gave Zoë a goodbye hug with the promise of seeing her another time before getting into her uncle's car. The journey home was a silent one. Anna didn't really know what she should say to her uncle.

"So how was school?" her uncle asked.

"Fine, I guess," Anna shrugged. School was just school. Nothing happened. The most excitement she had was the trial. School had just been so deliciously normal.

"Okay," Uncle Klaus said giving her a sideways glance. He paused as he was trying to think of something else to say that didn't involve school.

"So how's everyone?" Anna asked.

"Everyone is fine," god, this could not be more awkward. They might as well be talking about the weather – even that would be a better subject than what they were discussing. That was how awkward this was. But the truth was, they were trying to avoid one subject; Elsa. Anna wanted to know if her family had heard from her but she felt like it was a touchy subject and not one that she wanted to breach. However, Anna was curious. The question was; how to approach it? Anna decided not to ask her uncle. She didn't want to get into this with him anyway. She didn't particularly like talking about Elsa.

Uncle Klaus drove them both to his house. He helped Anna unpack her stuff and then he brought it up to her room for her. Anna sat down on the guest bed. Her bag was left on the bed next to her. She didn't know if she was going to even bother to unpack.

'Hey cousin!" Anna's cousin Astrid popped her head into her room.

"Hey!" Anna watched as Astrid took a seat right next to her. She brushed her long raven coloured hair out of her eyes. Astrid and Anna just looked at each other for a few moments before Anna opened her mouth to speak but Astrid lay her palm on top of Anna's hand.

"I know you want to know about Elsa," Astrid said.

It was true, Anna did. Being away from home, Anna didn't know if Elsa had talked to any member of her family. Somehow, it was a lot easier talking to her cousin than any other member of her family.

"You read my mind," Anna smiled. "Any news?"

"None," Astrid looked upset. "I know you hate her but we're all upset about this whole mess."

"This is a mess," Anna agreed. "I would have been sure that Uncle Klaus would have found her by now."

"Dad says that since Elsa clearly doesn't want to be found, we should wait until she comes back on her own free will rather than kicking down her door."

"Hmm, my uncle is wise."

"Yeah, dad is. So come on, dinner is ready."

"One more thing," Anna brought out the article that Zoë had showed her. Anna had picked one up at the Arendelle airport when Zoë wasn't looking. Astrid took the article and sighed. She gave Anna a kind smile.

"I saw this and wondered if you did," Astrid said to her cousin. "It's probably some stupid girl who Hans met at the nightclub. It was probably either a one night stand or an exaggerated story."

"Well I hope it's the latter than the former."

"Me too," Astrid patted her hand against Anna's.

Saturday night came and Anna didn't know how she felt about it. On one hand, she was excited to see Hans again as she hadn't seen in a while but then there were looming feelings about the article she had seen. She didn't know what to think. She threaded some hoops through her ears and stared at herself in the reflection in the mirror. What was she going to do?

She headed down the stairs and found Hans already waiting by the door. He was dressed – as always – in an impeccable suite (coloured black) with a blue tie. He was talking to her uncle and aunt. Hans seemed to be nodding along to the conversation. Anna came down the stairs and her footsteps alerted the group to her presence. They all looked up and smiled at her as she came down the stairs.

"Hello," Hans said in his usual charming voice.

"Hello," Anna breathed back.

Hans offered his arm and Anna took it. She had forgotten how alluring he could be. Looking at him made her think that the article was just misinterpreted.

"Have fun," Uncle Klaus said before grabbing Hans' shoulder and pulled him back. "But not too much fun."

"Yes sir," Hans gave him the classic Westergaard smile.

Hans led Anna to a fancy looking car and they clambered into the back. Hans gave the signal for the driver to drive on. He offered her a drink but Anna declined. They soon arrived at a fancy restaurant that Hans' had picked out. Hans lead them both inside and up to the head waiter who lead them to their table with a smile plastered all over her face. They sat down at what Anna guessed to be probably the best table in the house. The head waiter pulled over another waitress who grinned at them too.

"Hi," she said, "my name is Carita and I will be your waitress tonight." She handed them both a menu and a drink's one. "Tonight's special is the cod which is lightly fried and served in a chief's special sauce. It comes along with salad and chips. Is there something I can get you both to drink?"

"A glass of your best white wine," Hans said.

"Just water for me," Anna said.

"Coming right up," Carita said.

Before she left, she poured them both a glass of water from the bottle of water that she had brought over with hurried off to get their drinks which left them both to ponder the menu. Anna looked it up and down to see what looked the best for them to choose. There was the lobster. Nothing said fancy like a lobster in her opinion. There was also the duck which looked equally good. Everything seemed to catch her eye. Choosing may be quite a difficult thing to do.

"Anna?" Hans' voice brought her attention up to him.

"Yes?" she replied over her menu.

"You okay? Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah," Anna nodded. "Everything is great."

"I only ask because you haven't said much this entire evening," Hans lowered his menu and placed it next to his glass of water. "I feel as if something is wrong." He seemed to struggle with what he was about to say next but he ploughed on ahead. "Is it your sister? Is it Elsa? Did you hear from her?"

"No," Anna said. "I haven't seen her or heard anything from her since the day she left."

"Oh," Hans said. "Is that it? The fact that you haven't heard anything from her?"

"No," Anna suddenly felt a little rage burning inside her stomach. "She ran off. She doesn't care about us and so I don't care about her." Somehow the rage turned sadness. The fact that her sister hadn't called, texted, sent a letter, telegrammed or even sent a pigeon with a message somehow made her sad.

"Then what is it?" Hans entwined his hands together and stared over them at Anna. His eyes were filled with concern.

"It's just that…" Anna's voice trailed off. She didn't know how she should proceed with this or even if she should at all. She had been debating whether or not to just make up some random reason why she wasn't fully focused and in a bit of a rut. Well, Anna didn't like lying to people she cared about. So maybe she should tell him the truth. After all, asking him the truth will either ease her concerns or just confirm them. "I saw this article while I was at the airport yesterday."

"Ah," Hans seemed to understand where Anna was coming from, "that."

"So you've seen that article."

"I have," Hans sighed. "Look, I was out partying with some friends. I left with one of them who was staying over at my house as she had just flown in from London and I offered her my place so that she didn't have to stay at hotel. Besides, my residence is better than any hotel that The Southern Isles have to offer anyway."

"So it wasn't a girlfriend or anything?"

"How could it be my girlfriend if she is in Arendelle and not in The Southern Isles," Hans smiled warmly at her.

"Not a one night stand? You're just friends and not cheating on me?"

"Even if she was totally into me, I wouldn't even go there. I adore _you_ , not her."

Anna smiled. She was hoping that it would be something like that. Of course the article was making things up. That is just what these newspapers do; they make stuff up just to sell more magazines.

"I'm sorry for doubting you," Anna said. "It's just that I really like you and it makes me scared that someone else could come along and sweep you off your feet."

"I understand," Hans smiled once more. "For the record, you've already done that." Anna couldn't help blushing at his words. He really knew how make a girl feel special. "Now I think we should decide on what to order."

Their waitress came back with Hans' drink and took their order. Anna had a feeling that this date was going to be another fantastic date.

* * *

Elsa was in the kitchen in her dorm drinking some coffee as she read over her law cases for the next week. She had no sleep the night before. The image of her father standing over her with a hot poker was burned into her brain whenever she closed her eyes and thus stopping her from falling asleep. Elsa drained the last of her coffee.

"Woah," came a voice from behind her. "How many of those had you had?"

"About four," Elsa said.

Elsa watched as Astrid put the kettle on and started making herself a cup of tea. Astrid sat across from her and just stared at her. Elsa felt highly uncomfortable at this. She decided to make herself another cup of coffee.

"You sure you should be drinking that much coffee?" Astrid asked.

"I've had more before," Elsa said as she yawned. This was true. Elsa's had a lot of sleepless nights which required a lot of coffee before.

Astrid didn't speak; it looked like she was having some internal struggle which Elsa decided to ignore it. She had too much work to do and she had the stupid party at Jack's later. She couldn't believe she told him to go. Now he was going to be there with his stupid pretty girl and they will be making out all night long. Trust her karma; the one guy she actually likes, has a girlfriend. She would think the universe owes her a favour or two but no, she gets screwed all over again. Elsa tried to concentrate on her work but she could feel Astrid's eyes piercing through her. It was a feeling she knew too well.

She couldn't believe she had told Jack she was going. Well, she had to now. Besides, it wouldn't look good if she didn't show. Plus, Elsa was going for a new her. She had never been to a proper party before (not counting birthday parties and she just sat in the corner drinking some water). So she should do new stuff now that she was free of her father. But seeing Jack with his girlfriend wouldn't be easy. She may just have deal with it. The girlfriend was clearly here to stay.

"What?" Elsa said not looking up from her notes.

"You have a lot of sleepless nights?" Astrid asked, trying to sound as if it was of no real importance but failed.

"No," Elsa lied. She didn't look at Astrid. She could actually feel Astrid's disbelief.

"Your five cups of coffee say otherwise," Astrid paused, hesitating slightly but plunged on anyway. "Are you going to talk about what happened last night?"

"What's there to discuss? Nothing happened."

"You shouting in your sleep doesn't sound like nothing Elsa. It sounds like you were having a bad nightmare and by the sounds of your screams, it was a memory wasn't it?"

"Astrid, I am going to say this because you're my friend," Elsa paused. "Just stay out of this. I had a bad dream, okay? Nothing more than that."

"It sounded more like that."

"Just drop it."

"Drop what?" the voice of Honey walking into the dorm room with Tadashi and Gogo.

"Nothing," Elsa said giving Astrid a long hard stare when the others weren't looking. Astrid mouthed some words at her which Elsa took as her arguing the point but after Elsa sent her a glare, Astrid went back to her tea.

"So," Tadashi sat down next to Astrid, "are we all excited for Frost's party tonight?

"Yes," everyone said highly enthusiastically.

"No," Elsa muttered.

"You still whining about Jack?" Gogo said.

"Oh shut it," Astrid picked up a cushion from one of the chairs and threw it at Gogo. It hit her squarely in the face. "Everyone's allowed to whine about a broken heart. You did when that motorcycle guy broke up with you when he went to Harvard."

"FYI," Gogo said each letter with heavy emphasise, "we didn't break up. We're having a long distance relationship."

"You broke up," Honey said. "Granted, you got back together three months later when he randomly showed up begging for you to take him back."

"That was an awesome day," Gogo smiled.

Elsa just smiled as she returned to her notes. The conversation was finally heading away from her. Now all she had to do was worry about Jack's party.

* * *

Jack walked over to the bar to get a drink. His party was in full swing and his dorm room was full of people. It was packed to the brim. Everyone wanted to be at this party. People were just turning up by this point. Jack was happy for this to continue. At this rate, his party would be the party of the year and be the one to beat. Jack saw Elsa and her dorm mates enter the party. His girlfriend tried to engage him in conversation but he pretended he couldn't hear her over the noise of the music. She seemed to buy his lie as she smiled at him.

"Hey," Jack said to Elsa.

"Hey," she said in a small voice. If Jack hadn't been right next to her and his head close to her lips, he would have missed it.

Jack wanted to stay with her but he was pulled away by Jules wanting for him to introduce him to some of her new friends. After a while of talking to some of Jules' friend, he noticed that Elsa was standing in a corner, not talking to anyone. She looked like she could use a friend. She was looked highly uncomfortable. Maybe she didn't like parties. Well Jack was an expert on fun. He was going to help her have a good time. He walked over to her. She smiled when he approached.

"Hi," Jack said. "You look like you need a friend."

"Thanks," she said. "Parties aren't really my thing. I don't really know how to act at them."

"Well," Jack smiled at her, "I know how you can have a good time. Come on, have a drink, talk to some people. Who knows? You might have good time after all."

Jack led her over to the bar where Bunnymund was working. He had Tooth on his arm and they had clearly had a few drinks already. He handed them both red cups filled with alcohol. Jack clinked his cup against Elsa's. She was eyeing the drink with a concerned expression.

"Down the hatch," Elsa said. She gave the drink one last look before she took a long gulp. Jack grinned and took an equally long gulp.

Bunnymund handed them another drink as they both finished the drink right there. Jack looked out at his party. In a corner, he saw Tadashi and Honey making out.

"Guess they finally ended all their sexual tension," Jack said.

"What?" Elsa was staring at the room but not really seeing it. Jack pointed at the couple and Elsa had a massive grin over her face. "Yeah, about time."

She took another long sip of her drink. She seemed to be loosening up. Jack was glad of that. She looked like she was coming out of her shell now. That was just the first step of her having a good time at this party. Jack stared down at his drink before he took a sip of it. He suddenly felt Tooth pulling on his shoulder.

"Come on Jack," Tooth said. "We need players for beer pong."

Jack was hurried away before he even got a chance to get Elsa to come along with him. When Jack looked back at her, he saw Astrid and Hiccup had gone to talk to her so at least she wasn't left alone. Jack was pushed to the front of the crowd and Bunnymund was pushed to the front at the other side. People were starting to take bets on who was going to win. Jack sneakily saw Elsa place a note in Astrid's hand. He hoped that she was betting for him. Well, if so, he was going to have to win.

* * *

Elsa was watching the game that Jack and Bunnymund were apart of from a distance. Elsa sipped another sip of her drink. Jack was right; a few drinks and she was starting to relax. All the tension she had before was evaporating. Elsa wasn't much of a drinker though. She never really hadn't drunken much before except a few drinks here and there over the last couple of years. But the drinks were so nice and so Elsa kept drinking them. She could already feel them working.

Honey and Tadashi moved in her direction. Elsa grinned at them and they grinned back. They had been drinking – it was easy to tell. Hopefully they would remember their hook up in the morning. It would be quite awkward otherwise. Elsa greeted the pair with a friendly smile and a hello.

"Hey Elsa," they both said. "Who are you rooting for? Jack or Bunnymund?"

"Jack," intersected Astrid. "She has twenty on Jack."

"Do you have twenty on Bunnymund then?" Tadashi asked them.

"Yeah I do," Astrid said. "Bunnymund is a champion at this game. He won four games last year. I don't think that record is going to be broken anytime soon."

"Hey guys," Jack's girlfriend Jules joined them. She greeted Astrid, Tadashi and Honey as if they were old friends – although, as Elsa reminded herself, they probably were. They probably all went to school together and grew up here in Burgess together.

"Hey," the rest of them said.

Jules got herself a drink from Tooth and watched the game with them. Jack caught her eye and she gave him a flirty wink which he returned. Elsa felt jealousy roar within her but she had to remember that Jack was dating Jules and not her. She had to push this feeling down otherwise her friendship with Jack will be destroyed and she couldn't do that.

"So Elsa right?" Jules said to Elsa and she nodded. "Jack's said a bit about you."

"Oh," Elsa didn't know what to say at that. "Nothing too bad I hope."

"Nah," Jules laughed. "All good things. So did I hear right? You're betting on Jack?"

"Yeah I am," Elsa nodded. "So you guys all go way back right?"

"We grew up on the same block," Jules said. "Tadashi and his family were actually next door neighbours to my family until their parents died."

"Oh," Elsa looked over at Tadashi. "I didn't know that."

"It was a long time ago," Jules drank a little bit of her drink and Elsa did the same. "It was a car crash that took them. Since then, they lived with their Aunt Cass over in San Fransokyo which was a fair distance from where we live and went to school but at least we still saw them every day which I am grateful for."

"That's nice," Elsa looked back over at Tadashi. So they both knew the pain of losing their parents. Well, losing her mother had caused her pain, losing her father was a blessing. He could rot in hell for all she cared. Tadashi and Honey had wandered off into the crowd and so they didn't hear the next part of their conversation.

"It's nice that he and Honey finally hooked up though," Jules continued.

"If they can remember it in the morning," Elsa said.

"True," Jules laughed. "They've both had the biggest crushes on each other which obviously turned into mutual love for each other."

"I know," Elsa said. "I may have only known them for a couple of weeks but they're not being exactly subtle with it."

"Ah so you have noticed," Jules laughed again. "I wasn't sure if you had."

Elsa hated to admit it but Jules seemed like an awesome person. She obviously cared for her friends and her boyfriend. The fact that she was a nice person just made Elsa angrier. She seemed perfect. Why couldn't there be something wrong with her? Well, Elsa may just have to face the facts that Jack had a decent girlfriend and looked at her as only a friend and nothing more.

"I had," Elsa said. "It's quite hard not to."

A roar from the crowd interrupted them. They looked up to see what was going on. Jack had scored a point. Elsa gave Astrid – who had been focusing on the game rather than Elsa and Jules' conversation – a sly look but she didn't seem too concerned. Elsa could see why. In the next ten minutes, Bunnymund not only evened the score but pulled ahead by two more points. Come on Jack, Elsa thought as Jack lined up his next shot. It missed and Elsa groaned alongside all the people who were rooting with Jack.

"I only take cash," Astrid said.

"It's not over yet," Elsa muttered.

She finished off her drink and went to get another. This match was going to take some time. Elsa cheered whenever Jack scored a point and groaned whenever he missed his shot or whenever Bunnymund scored a point. The match was first to seven points. Bunnymund always seemed to be in the lead, always one point over Jack. Elsa was nervous but she kept the faith that Jack would win. Soon it came down to the last point. Everyone was on edge for the final point. Bunnumund took a shot with his ping pong ball, it bounced over the net, hit the cup but didn't go in. Jack took his shot and everyone watched as the ping pong ball bounced over the fence and into Bunnymund's last cup. There was a roar from Jack's side of the table. They all jumped over him in their delight. There was soon a scramble from people as they went to collect their debts.

Elsa turned to Astrid with a rather large grin on her face. Astrid sighed and pulled out a wad of cash and slapped it into Elsa's outstretched hand.

"Can't believe I lost," Astrid muttered.

"Well believe it," Elsa grinned again. She tucked the note into her pocket.

* * *

Jack's party continued well into the night. Bunnymund had been right; the time for a good party was now. People would be talking about this party for the rest of the year. He hoped it would be the aim that all future parties would aspire to. Jack's host duties kept him away from the bar so he didn't get a chance to do a lot of drinking apart from the start of the party. So over the course of the night, sobriety had sunk in.

It was about half past four in the morning when people started to drift out. Jack had been talking to Bunnymund – who didn't make a lot of sense because unlike Jack, he hadn't allowed himself to go the entire night without a drink in his hand – when Astrid came up to him. She was a little tipsy but at least she could string a sentence together that made sense unlike Bunnymund.

"Hey Jacky boy," Astrid gave him a whack on his back.

" _Jacky boy_?" Jack repeated sounding a little disgusted.

"You know where Elsa is?" Astrid ignored Jack and she looked around the room. "She's new so I thought I would keep an eye out for her and make sure she gets back to her dorm room okay and not get taken advantage of."

"No I haven't but I'm sure we'll find her. Not many hiding places in this room."

"Astrid," Hiccup came over, "you coming?"

"You go," Jack said. "I'll make sure Elsa gets back to her dorm."

"Thanks Jack," Astrid grinned.

Jack saw her grab her things and leave with Hiccup. Jack started to scan the room. There were still a number of people still in his dorm room. He couldn't see her in the main room of the dorm room. He asked a few people where Elsa might be. It wasn't until he asked Tooth did he discover that she was lying on Tooth's bed. He pushed open the door and found Elsa on the bed.

"Jack!" she had been lying on the bed, she seemed interested in Tooth's map of the consultations that she kept above her bed. Jack knew that she had been drinking a lot. She was grinning a lot as well and in a stupid drunken way that made him laugh.

"Hey Elsa," he said. "Astrid said that we should get you to bed."

"But the party is only beginning," Elsa moaned.

"But it's also your bedtime."

Jack didn't know how else to get her to come with him. She couldn't stay here all night in Tooth's bed despite the fact that Tooth didn't sleep in her own bed.

"Awwww," Elsa moaned but she got to her feet. She stumbled and nearly fell over. Jack managed to grab her just in time. She tried to walk but she kept stumbling. Jack picked her up and hoisted her off the ground. He pushed through the crowd of people in his dorm room and back into hers. He had to do a lot of manoeuvring with the door handles but he managed it. He eventually found her room and rested her against her pillow. The alcohol was starting to make her feel sleepy.

"You have pretty eyes," she said which made Jack grin.

"Rest up Elsa," he said. "You're gonna have a killer headache in the morning though."

"Come here," she gestured to him to come closer.

"What is it?" he bent down.

"I wanna tell you a secret."

"What?" Jack leaned in even closer.

"You're pretty," she said into his ear.

Jack grinned at this. "You're pretty too."

"You can stay the night if you want."

Jack laughed. "I have my own bed to sleep in and you do too. So like I said, rest up and have a good sleep."

Elsa wasn't probably flirting with him, it was the alcohol talking but he would like to think that she was. Jack was about to leave but she grabbed him.

"I don't want to sleep," she said. "Otherwise he will come for me."

Jack stared at her. He had seen some pretty weird drunken talk before but this felt different. They say that drunken words are sober thoughts and maybe the alcohol was allowing Elsa to say what was really on her mind. But who is 'he' in her scenario? Is she making up someone like an old nightmare character or was the nightmare character real?

"Who Elsa?" Jack asked but Elsa was already asleep. She was snoring softly and Jack watched her for a few seconds before he pulled a blanket over her and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight," he said to her. Jack got her some Aspirin and water as he knew that she would have a horrible headache in the morning. Jack left the room just as Gogo entered the room.

"Thanks for the great party Jack," Gogo said.

"You're welcome," Jack said. "Elsa is asleep so I would tread quietly if I was you."

"Okay," Gogo let out a small laugh. She walked by him and into her own bedroom.

Jack opened the door and headed out into the hallway beyond. He was about to place his hand on the door handle when he heard what sounded like voices. He looked sideways and saw Pitch Black – a guy that he couldn't stand and that he had to suffer seven years at school with – was talking to some guy that Jack didn't recognise. He was medium build with scruffy brown hair. He wore a tan hoodie and long dark ripped jeans. Pitch looked distressed about something. Jack didn't know if he had ever seen Pitch in distress before. That almost scared him a little. Pitch was usually so smooth and smarmy. The fact that he was distress about something made Jack think that something was going on. That was the only explanation that he could think of. Pitch was always looking for ways to break rules. Was this about a rule being broken or was it much, much more? Jack noticed that he was holding an envelope which contained something that Jack was now interested in.

"You said tonight," he heard Pitch whisper to the guy. "I need it tonight."

"Well things have been a little tough to get," the other guy said. "For my efforts to go the extra mile, I want double."

" _Double_?" Pitch grabbed the guy by the cuff and slammed him against the wall. "You get what we agreed on and deliver it by Monday. I need it by then."

The guy pulled Pitch off him. "You either agree to my terms or I'll go have a nice chat with Dean Harkon. Do you want that?"

Pitch seemed to be struggling with something. "Fine," he said eventually. "But Monday or I'll go have a chat with Dean Harkon myself." Pitch suddenly realised that he was being watched. He turned around and saw Jack watching them. Jack was very interested in the conversation that was being taken place in front of him. It wasn't unusual that Pitch would be up to something that involved rules being broken.

"What are you looking at Frosty?" Pitch sneered at him. "Spying on me? What else is new?"

"Up to something again?" Jack sneered back.

"Stay out of it," Pitch shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off leaving Jack to wonder what is going on.

 **A/N: So here is the next update of this, some drama involving Pitch and Hans. I hope that people didn't get confused with Astrid Winters and Astrid Hofferman in this chapter. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest (MixyBell): Updating when I can. Yeah I did know that review was you. 1) no probs 2) hahaha, now I am thinking that too.**

 **150Songs: Thanks so much for the kind words!**

 **SweetLikeSyrup58: Well you may just have to wait and see if Jack dumps Jules but this is a Jelsa fic so that should give you a good indicator of the answer. Oh there will hopefully be interesting things in this story. Also, thanks so much!**

 **ZERO-xxx: Yeah poor Elsa. Thanks so much. I have noticed that too. My writing does improve. I didn't know you read my other stories. Thanks!**

 **sia-gomo01: Yay! The All Blacks are awesome after all so it's only natural that you would support them. I'm gonna try and include the growth thing, hopefully I can pull it off. A small hint into what Pitch is up to in this chapter.**

 **Guest: Anna may or may not play a big role, may just have to wait and see. Pitch may or may not find out Elsa's little secrets or maybe he has some others on other people. On the doctor, no the doctor wouldn't do that as he could be lose his license, lose everything and go to jail for what he did. So no, he won't be the one going to Anna and explain things. Yeah, I hate Anna hating Elsa too but everything will be resolved in the end, for better or worse.**

 **Gracialoveme: Thanks! Pitch will be causing some drama which I hope you will enjoy. Yeah, I think you mentioned that at some point. Also, I have devised a way to keep Hans in the story for a few more chapters, thought you might like to know that.**

 **AnthroDragon: You mean in the dorm?**

 **Guest: Updating as requested!**

 **sanaa11: Poor Elsa indeed. Yeah, Anna is depressed too.**

 **QueenMaylina8Candy: Thanks! I do my best with making nice long chapters. Thanks so much for loving this story!**

 **Blind Red Dragon: Thanks! Yeah, now that you mentioned it, it reminded me too. What you said, made a lot of sense when I relooked over the chapter. Everything that you said, made a lot of sense. PS: love the jokes. I had a good laugh at it.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! Yeah I do too. Hopefully those nightmares end soon and someone can help.**


	12. Fancy Suit and Dress

**Chapter 12: Fancy Suit and Dress**

Hans returned home after his date with Anna. Hans owned an apartment in Arendelle Central and was located close to the train station. His apartment was located on the thirteenth floor and so Hans pressed the button marked with a thirteen when he entered the elevator. Hans took out his keys when he came to his apartment – 13B – and put them into the lock on his door. Hans took off his coat and hung it on a hook by the door before he headed over to his fridge. He opened the door and examined the contents. He was feeling a little peckish. Maybe some left over noodle duck will be enough to quench it.

"Didn't you have enough to eat at the restaurant, eh brother?" Hans turned around and saw his older brother Mathias sitting on one of his chairs reading the newspapers and sipping a cup of tea.

"What are you doing here?" Hans said to him, snapping the fridge door shut as he did and not answering the question. "Also, nice of you to simply let yourself in." He said this last bit very sarcastically.

"Well, when one has a key," Mathias held his key up, "one uses it."

"That still didn't answer my question," Hans said as he folded his arms.

"You didn't answer mine," Mathias said.

"I get hungry okay?" Hans was now a little frustrated. "Now you."

Mathias put down his cup of tea and drew out something that was secretly wedged between the papers. He threw it at Hans. It was a local gossip magazine. Mathias had a page marked. Hans flicked to it and saw that it was the article that Anna had been talking about earlier. Hans looked up at his brother and sae that he wasn't impressed with his younger brother. He threw the magazine back at his brother. Mathias caught it but he still was wearing his unimpressed expression.

"What about it?" Hans asked his brother.

"You've got to be way more careful," Mathias said.

"Relax Mathias," Hans said. "I've taken care of it."

"I don't think you have –"

"Anna is very gullible. She believed every word I said."

"Well that's good to hear. We need her to keep falling for you, now more than ever since her sister is no longer an obstacle. But what about the girl you slept with?"

"Who says I slept with her?" Mathias gave him a look. "Okay, I may have but she's no one okay? She doesn't even know Anna. Besides, who will Anna believe, her loving and kind boyfriend or some girl who is trying to get between her and her boyfriend?"

"Good point. As Ru Paul would say; don't fuck this up."

* * *

 _"_ _Elsa, look at this mess!"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry Papa!"_

 _"_ _You will be in a minute!"_

 _His hand struck across her face with such force that she was struck through the glass coffee table. Glass splinters were driven into her body as this happened. Blood poured out of her open wounds. Her father stood over her with an angry look etched over her face. She looked up at him, simply terrified._

Elsa woke up with her heart pounding. She could feel the pain that the glass splinters had caused despite it happening years and years ago. It took a few moments for her to realise that the pain was imaginary. Her heart wasn't the only thing that was pounding. Her head was as well. She clutched her head. It felt like someone had played basketball with it. Elsa let out a long groan as she tried to get out of bed. The word being tried – she collapsed in her attempt to get out. Her head hit her pillow and that caused the room to spin. She might have overdone it a little last night. Last night might have its blank spaces for her but she hoped she had fun. It was time she had a little.

She could really go for a good painkiller. That was when she noticed that there were some aspirin and some water sitting next to her on her bedside table. Maybe some good soul had left them there for her. It could have been Jack; he seems like the kind of person that would do that for her. She placed the pills in her mouth and used the water to wash them down. It took a bit but after a while, she could feel it working. She groaned again as she tried one more time to get out of her bed. This time she managed to do it. She grabbed her dressing gown and slippers and headed into the kitchen where she found the rest of her roommates having breakfast. They looked a little worse for wear as well.

"There's Elsa," Astrid said in a surprising chirpy tone.

"Do you have to be so chipper?" Elsa asked as she slumped into a chair.

"Yes," Astrid said, "because then I can rub it into people's faces that I didn't drink as much as some other people." When she said these words, she looked pointedly at Elsa, Honey and Tadashi. She got glares from all of them in return.

"Why not Gogo?" Honey asked.

"I had like four drinks," Gogo said. "Besides I wasn't the one making out with Tadashi."

"I did what?" Honey thundered. Elsa giggled. That was one part of the party that she did remember. Guess Honey, on the other hand, didn't. "Tadashi and I…made out?"

"Pretty vigorously," Elsa added.

"But then he will know that I like him!"

"Is that the worst thing in the world? Besides, he may not remember."

"True," Honey said. "After breakfast, I am going next door to see if he remembers."

"Good plan."

"Some coffee?" Astrid said to Elsa.

"Yes please," Elsa replied.

Astrid filled up a mug in front of her with coffee. Elsa gulped it down in one swoop. She needed some caffeine in her system. How else was she going to function today? Thankfully she didn't have work and her school work was all caught up on. Maybe a day in bed was needed.

* * *

After breakfast, Honey went straight over to Tadashi's dorm room. He lived right across the hall from her. She couldn't believe what the others had told her about what had happened at the party. Had she really made out with Tadashi? This was so not how she wanted them to get together. She had imagined him asking her out in a very goofy but adorable way after chemistry class, not by getting drunk at a party and making out. She just hoped that things weren't taken any further. She liked Tadashi but she wanted to wait a little bit before they went down that road.

She knocked on the door and soon found herself face to face with a shirtless Jack. Honey could totally see why all the girls swooned over him. Honey had never seen it – probably because she and Jack had been friends for many years and so that thought was quite weird for her to think about. Besides, she was into Tadashi and he was the only boy that was occupying her mind.

"Hey Honey," Jack said. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey Jack," Honey replied. Jack stood back and allowed her to walk into the dorm room. "I was just wondering if Tadashi is up."

"Oh he's still lying in bed," Jack let out a laugh. "He's been moaning and groaning all morning. He has one killer headache."

"You think he's up for visitors?"

"He might be. Maybe go knock on his door and see."

"Thanks Jack," Honey went to walk down the corridor to Tadashi's room when Jack stopped her. Honey turned around to see what he wanted. He looked like he wanted to ask her something but was hesitating slightly. Honey wondered what could be on his mind. Did he do something stupid at the party last night? Well, if he did, she wanted the dirt. Jack Frost was practically a wonder boy – that's what their friend Meg said anyway. Honey just hoped that Jack didn't screw up too badly if he did.

"Er, Honey?" he said.

"Yeah?" she said.

"I was just wondering if Elsa is alright. She didn't seem much of a drink and well, she drank a lot last night and I was just checking in."

Honey got a smirk on her face. "She's fine. Just a killer headache."

"Thanks," Jack said, "and what's with the smirk?"

"You like her don't you Jack?"

"What? No! That's ridiculous. I have a girlfriend!"

"Doesn't stop you from falling for someone else."

"Honey, stop it! I like Jules, okay? Not Elsa!"

"If you say so," Honey said.

Honey practically pranced off to Tadashi's room feeling satisfied. Jack was still calling after her but she ignored him. Her mind was switching from Jack's love life to her own. She just hoped that she wasn't going to embarrass her or Tadashi. Well maybe if he didn't remember a thing, there could still be hope for her cute chemistry romance scenario.

Honey soon found Tadashi's room and gently knocked on the door. She called out that it was her and Tadashi's tired voice came from within telling her that she could come in which she obeyed. Honey entered Tadashi's room and found him sitting up in bed with an ice pack held against his head.

"Hey," Honey said. "I was wondering if you remember –"

"Us making out?" Tadashi provided. "Jack already told me. It's starting to come back."

"So," Honey hopped up on his bed next to him, "I've been wondering if…" her voice trailed off.

"If it meant something?"

"Well, yeah," Honey paused and then decided to tell him the truth. "I've kind of had the biggest crush on you for a while now."

"Really?" Tadashi looked a little smug then winced and he held his head. Honey felt like that was karma. "I kind of have to admit something too. I've also had a crush on you for a while now."

Honey didn't speak. She just pressed her lips firmly against his. For a few moments they kissed.

"Best day ever," Tadashi grinned when they broke apart.

* * *

 _One Week Later_

Elsa found herself, once again, working at the coffee shop. She and Astrid were half way through their double shift. Elsa was exhausted. As usual her sleep deprived, overworked self was being put through her paces but she was enjoying it nonetheless. This was university life and she loved it.

"Table four needs two cappuccinos," Astrid said to Elsa after she took a girl's order.

"Coming right up," Elsa said.

"Elsa?" the voice of her boss came from nowhere like it always did. Elsa jumped a little but then found him standing to her right.

"Yes boss?" she said.

"When you're finished today, could you come find me?"

"Sure," she was a little confused but she didn't say anything further than that. She watched Pitch leave to deliver some drinks and a muffin to a group of students. As Elsa was making the drinks that Astrid had requested, her thoughts lingered to what Pitch could want. Could there be something wrong with her job performance? She didn't think so. There hadn't been any complaints – well that she was aware of. Maybe Pitch wanted to give her a promotion? She almost laughed when she thought that. She had been working at the coffee shop for two weeks. There was no way that was what Pitch wanted to see her about. Well, she was certain that Pitch wanted her job.

"So what did the big bad bogeyman want?" Astrid asked. That was their nickname for Pitch. He wasn't the nicest guy on campus. He was hard on people. Elsa was lucky that so far Pitch hadn't been hard on her yet. Two days ago, he made Astrid come in on her day off because he had a headache that turned out be suddenly cured once he took some painkillers.

"I don't know," Elsa handed Astrid the drinks she had made. "But if I were to guess, I'd say he wanted my job."

"But you haven't done anything to warrant a firing."

"I don't think Pitch needs one."

"Guess we'll find out after work."

"I guess we will."

Elsa continued doing her job. Every now and then she glanced over and saw Pitch looking over at her. She didn't know how she felt about that. She just shrugged it and moved on with her job. When the end of her shift came, Elsa was cleaning the cappuccino machine. Astrid walked towards her. She had a jacket over her work clothes and her purse was hanging from a strap that was thrown over her shoulder. She gave Elsa a good luck smile before leaving the store but Elsa knew she wasn't really leaving. She was going to wait to see what was going to happen.

Elsa was just as curious as she polished the machine with a rag cloth. Pitch was currently locking up the front door. They were now alone in the coffee shop. Elsa didn't know if this was a good thing or not. She decided that Pitch was harmless. He was now walking towards her. Elsa quickly started to dry washed mugs with a different cloth. Pitch leaned against the counter and watched her work.

"So I was wondering," Pitch said, "if you are free this Saturday, we could go get a bite to eat or maybe catch a flick." Elsa almost froze. Was Pitch doing what she thought he was doing? Pitch paused after he had finished his sentence. Elsa realised that now was the moment when she was supposed to say something. The only problem was that she didn't know what she was going to say.

"Sure," that flew out of her mouth before she even had a chance to consider it.

"Great," Pitch grinned at her. "I'll pick you at seven this Saturday."

"I have a shift from six to eight on Saturday."

"Astrid will cover it," Pitch said as if it was extremely obvious. "I'll see you then."

Pitch headed out the back door, still wearing that grin. He left Elsa feeling very confused. Well Pitch had never done anything horrible to her. Well he was a jerk to other people but he hadn't been to her. Could he deserve a chance? Well, she was about to find out. She quickly finished up her cleaning before she grabbed her jacket and purse and left the coffee shop. She found Astrid checking her phone and leading against a pillar. She grinned at Elsa when she saw that she was approaching her.

Astrid put her phone into her pocket and walked with Elsa for a few moments in silence. Elsa could practically sense her eagerness to know what had transpired between Elsa and Pitch but she didn't say anything.

"So what did Pitch want?" Astrid asked, trying to sound as if it didn't really matter.

"He asked me out," Elsa said simply.

"He what?" Astrid stopped in the middle of her stride. She turned around to face Elsa with a slack jaw expression etched all over her face.

"Asked me out," Elsa said just as simply as before. She also stopped in her tracks to face her friend who was still looking at Elsa as if what she had heard was the most ridiculous thing to ever happen on this planet.

"What did he say when you said no?" Astrid folded her arms and stared at her friend. For an answer, Elsa stayed quiet and avoided eye contact. "You said yes?" she said that in pure disbelief.

"I might have," Elsa said. "Look, the answer came out of my mouth. Besides, Pitch hasn't been a jerk to me."

"Just everyone else."

"Just everyone else," Elsa repeated. They continued walking back towards their dorm room. "Oh you may have to cover for me on Saturday." Astrid groaned.

Elsa's thoughts were far away as they continued walking? Why had she said yes? Well, it wasn't like her feelings for Jack weren't going to get her anywhere. Pitch had been the first guy to pay her any attention in that way since she had arrived. Maybe a date with Pitch won't be too bad. It could be a huge mistake but she might as well see if it is. Who knows, it could end up being very fun. She just hoped she was right.

* * *

Jack and Tadashi were hanging out with Honey in her dorm room along with Tooth, Bunnymund and Gogo. Jack had hoped to run into Elsa but Gogo had said that she was at work. He was actually a little disappointed. He had grown quite attached to her over the time he had known her. However, that was making him feel a little guilty. He felt like he was cheating on Jules but he wasn't. Besides, it wasn't as if he was having feelings for another woman – was he?

Currently Tadashi and Honey were discussing where they should go on their third date. Their first date had been to go see a film. Honey had suggested going to see a cheesy chick flick. They ended up seeing a sci-fi movie about a series of extra-terrestrial robots that tried to take over the planet. Their second date was a lunch date a couple of days later. Now they wanted to know where they should go next.

"How about mini golf?" Jack suggested. The university they were at had a mini golf course. Jack had already all tried it. Jack and Elsa went the previous week where Elsa showed off her skills. She had four holes in ones. Jack had been impressed.

"We could," Tadashi said. He turned to his girlfriend. "We hadn't tried that course yet. I still have an undefeated streak from the course at home."

"You only have an undefeated streak because hole fifteen and sixteen were stupid," Honey retorted.

This made them all laugh. Elsa and Astrid soon walked through the door. Astrid was staring at Elsa in disbelief. Jack wanted to know why.

"What happened?" Gogo immediately said when she noticed what Jack noticed.

"Pitch asked her out," Astrid explained.

"That makes sense," Tooth said. "Elsa's hot. Any guy would be crazy not to."

"Yeah that's not the crazy part," Astrid said. "She actually said yes."

Everyone gaped at Elsa. Jack actually felt jealousy rise within him. He then felt confusion as well. Why would he be jealous at Elsa agreeing to go out with someone? Well maybe he was confusing jealousy with protection. Yeah, that was it. He hated Pitch. Elsa going out with the guy was making him feel protective not jealous. Well, his brain wasn't doing a very good job at trying to convince him.

"Pitch is a douche Elsa," Tooth said. "We went to school with him," she pointed at herself, Tadashi, Honey, Jack and Bunnymund, "we know what he's like. He's a jerk. You don't want to date him."

"Many people are jerks at school," Elsa said. "I have this friend who had a friend who used to run about and get into trouble with the law. He's fine now." Elsa almost teared up at the thought of Flynn who just reminded her of her best friend Rapunzel. She forced herself to stop. She had to let go of those feelings.

"Well maybe he changed into who he really was," reasoned Bunnymund, "but we know Pitch. He's a fucking jerk and a selfish one too."

"He wants to be a doctor," Elsa said. "He wants to help people."

"He just wants to fuel his ego," Jack said. "He is a self-centred, narcissistic ego-maniac. Pitch is a jerk. You know this. Why did you agree to this date?"

"Pitch has never given any reason not to say yes," Elsa said. "I'll give him one chance. One date won't hurt. If he turns out to be a jerk, then I'll ditch him. Let me figure that out for myself."

"Okay," Tooth said. "Besides, if he ends up being a jerk we can do some serious damage to him. We know his weak spots."

They all laughed. Jack's jealousy was slowly returning but that wasn't all that was returning. Tooth had just given him an idea. She had mentioned Pitch's weak spots. Jack knew one very well. Pitch would do anything to succeed even if it meant breaking every rule that was in the rule book.

He was sure that he knew what Pitch was up to. The only thing now that he had to do was fine proof and he was sure he knew how to get that proof. He was going to use Elsa's date with Pitch.

When Saturday came, Jack was spying on his neighbour's door. Thankfully for him, he was alone in the dorm so that nobody would question his decision to spy on Elsa's front door. He was waiting to see when she was going to go out. He constantly had been checking her door for the past two hours. Thank god Tooth wasn't here. Otherwise she would say that he had an obsession and tease him about his 'obvious' crush on her. He didn't have a crush. He was nowhere near that. Arguing with himself was only going to make things worse and he would miss when Elsa came home.

His phone buzzed – it was a message from Bunnymund. _Tooth has us seeing a chick flick. WTF? The new Star Wars movie is playing at the same time!_ Jack had to laugh when he read that text. Bunnymund and Tooth had this deal, one picks the date and the other picks the other. Jack texted back his message. _Her choice man, you gotta live with it_. Tadashi was on a movie date as well. He and Honey were marathoning the Lord of The Ring movies at her apartment. Meanwhile, Sandy was at a study group with Hiccup. Hiccup was supposed to be on a date with Astrid but she was covering Elsa's shift at the hospital so he tagged along with Sandy.

The door across the dorm opened and Jack quickly closed his – he had it ajar just enough so he could see the other door. He heard footsteps walk down the hallway and Jack quickly opened his door. He saw Elsa walk down the hallway dressed in a stunning blue strapless dress with high heels to match. Her usual braid was up in an elegant bun with a couple of strands falling gracefully into her face. Her fingers were clasping a black clutch which matched the blazer she was wearing. Jack couldn't help but stare at her. She looked absolutely gorgeous. His heart started to race and he could have sworn he was blushing.

"You okay Jack?"

"What?"

Jack was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realise that she had heard him bolt out of his door. He hadn't exactly been quiet. She was giving him a grin nonetheless and now she was waiting for him to answer.

"I just going out for a walk," Jack came up with an answer on the spot.

"Oh, how nice," Elsa smiled at him. "The weather is just perfect for a causal stroll, besides the fact it is pouring down with rain." She continued to grin at him. "What's going on Jack?"

"Look," Jack said, "could you do me a favour? Could you text me when you and Pitch come back from your date?"

"Why?" Elsa was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"I need to do something. Please Elsa."

"Alright," Elsa continued to look at him suspiciously but she didn't say anything more.

She turned around on her heels and walked down the hallway. Jack waited for a few minutes before he raced down the corridor. He then stopped. He had thought of something. He raced back into his room and grabbed some generic textbooks. They would be his ticket in. He quickly left his dorm room and headed back into the hallway. He didn't go down through the main doors. Instead he took the back stairs and the back exit. If he went out the front, Elsa and surely Pitch would see him. He doubted Pitch would buy his 'walking around in the rain' story.

Once Jack was outside, he bolted to Pitch's dorm room. He hated the fact that Pitch was in a dorm room that was on the other side of campus. However finding it would be easy. He soon entered the Wayne Building – one of the oldest buildings on campus and housed two hundred students. Jack walked up to the reception desk where an old lady was waiting. She was just typing away on her computer. She looked up when Jack approached. Jack put on his best smile for the lady.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "A buddy of mine left his medical books at my dorm room when we were studying last night. Problem is, he's on a date right now and so he's turned his phone off. I thought it would be best if I returned them to his dorm room as he needs them tomorrow for a test." Jack held up the books he was holding to her.

"Ah, every students' nightmare," the old lady seemed to sympathise with his situation. "So you need the dorm room right? Name of student?"

"Pitch Black," answered Jack.

"Ah excellent," the old lady started to type away at her computer. "He's in room 4-21." She handed a spare key to Pitch's room. "So you can get in. Leave in here on counter when you're finished."

"Thank you very much," Jack gave her a thankful grin before heading into the elevator. He jabbed the button marked with a four. The doors closed and then they opened on the fourth floor. He quickly left the elevator and headed down the corridor. He was in a rush because he didn't know how much time he had.

He slotted the key into the keyhole and turned it. A satisfying click was heard when the door was unlocked. He pushed open the door and entered Pitch's room. It was incredibly clean and neat. The floor was spotless, the bead was made military style, his clothes were hung up in the wardrobe and were evenly spaced apart, everything on the desk was neatly organised and there were medical posters on his wall including The Vitruvian Man and some strange looking anatomy posters that had Jack thought looked very weird. Pitch's room was cleaner that Wasabi's room and that was saying something. Well it at least it wasn't messy. It will make looking through the room a lot easier.

There was only one bed in the room – Pitch didn't have a roommate. He somehow weaselled his way out of that. The Wayne Building specifically had one or two people rooms unlike the rooms that Jack was housed it in which up to six people can room. Jack started to look through the room. He had to look as if he hadn't been in the room. Now he was regretting being relieved that the room was tidy. Pitch would notice if a single thing was out of place. A messy room would cover any searching he did.

Jack started going through his drawers. Inside the drawers were several papers. Jack went through all of them. None of them were remotely helpful to him. They were just scrap pieces of paper that Pitch had scribbled notes on. He started to look through all his books. They were all useless too. Even anything around his bed was nothing helpful. He wasn't about to give up. This could be his only opportunity to search his room. He knew that Pitch was hiding something. He just had to find it.

* * *

Saturday soon came and it came too soon for Elsa. She was starting to regret saying yes to Pitch. She knew the others had a point about Pitch but he hadn't been a total jerk to her. Well, it sounded like she was trying to find a reason to date the guy. Maybe she should see where this goes. She was trying to do things that the old Elsa wouldn't do after all. She needed to live a little – something she never did back in Arendelle.

So that's how Elsa found herself getting ready for her date on Saturday night. She had picked out a dress she had bought earlier that week – Astrid and Gogo had taken her shopping after school on Tuesday. Elsa had picked out a strapless blue dress with matching high heels. The dress thankfully covered her scars but she threw on a black blazer just in case. She threaded a pair of diamond earrings through her earlobes. They had been a gift from her grandmother when she had turned sixteen. She looked at them and instantly felt remorse and guilt about leaving Arendelle. She took the earrings out and instead placed some gold studs in her ears. They had no ties to anyone special to her. Her hair was done up on an elegant bun but she had a couple of strands that had been curled. They fell gracefully into her eyes. She grabbed a black clutch, that went well with the blazer she had picked out from her desk, and headed out the door.

She found Gogo sitting at their kitchen table. Astrid was at work – she had grumbled all day about working on a Saturday and had shot death glares at Elsa whenever she could – and Honey was out with Tadashi on a date.

"You look hot for your date," Gogo said looking up from her robotics assignment.

"Thanks," Elsa said. "I have to go. Pitch is waiting."

"Have fun."

Elsa left the dorm room and started to walk down the hallway. Then she stopped. She realised that someone was following her. She turned around and saw that Jack was following her. She gave him a quizzical expression,

"You okay Jack?"

"What?"

Jack seemed to not realise that Elsa was looking right at her for several long seconds. Then it clicked with him.

"I just going out for a walk," Jack seemed to come up with the first answer that came into his head. Elsa had to stop herself from laughing. It was obvious he was lying.

"Oh, how nice," Elsa smiled at him. "The weather is just perfect for a causal stroll, besides the fact it is pouring down with rain." She continued to grin at him. "What's going on Jack?" She knew that something was up. The only thing she had to do was get him to say it. She had caught him in the lie. It would be easy to do that.

"Look," Jack said, "could you do me a favour? Could you text me when you and Pitch come back from your date?"

"Why?" Elsa looked at him with another puzzled expression. That was an odd thing for Jack to request. He clearly was going to do something that didn't need Pitch finding out about. The question; what was it?

"I need to do something. Please Elsa."

"Alright," Elsa continued to look at him suspiciously but she didn't say anything more. She knew that Jack had to do something and he wasn't about to tell her. Besides, if she did this thing for him, he would owe her and then maybe she would find out the truth about what Jack was about to do.

She turned around and walked down the hallway. She headed down the stairs and into the lobby of her building. That was where Pitch was waiting for her. He was dressed in a stunning black suit completed with black tie ad black shirt. It went remarkably well with his black hair. He grinned very broadly at her. That smile almost gave her the chills. She still had a chance to back out of this date. She could say that Gogo was sick and needed her help since all other roommates were out or maybe she could say that homework had piled up. But then she stopped. She needed to go on this date. She needed to see for herself what was out there. What was the point of living this new lifestyle if risk wasn't part of the equation?

"You look absolutely stunning," Pitch handed her a single red rose.

"Thanks," she said as she accepted the rose. She took a whiff of the flower. It smelled simply divine. "You don't look to bad yourself."

"Thank you," Pitch offered her his arm and Elsa took it. They started to walk out of the building and into car that Pitch had waiting. Elsa was glad that they would be driving wherever they were going. That rain didn't look too appealing. Elsa climbed into the backseat of the car as so did Pitch. It didn't take Elsa more than a couple of seconds to realise that Pitch had a driver. As soon as they were buckled in, Pitch told the driver to go. The driver started up the engine and headed for the university's exit.

"So where are we going?" Elsa asked Pitch.

"Some place where I know you will have a great time," he said this while wearing a grin.

They rode in silence. Elsa didn't know what to say to Pitch. This was going to be a super awkward. She had tried opening her mouth several times to initiate a conversation but it didn't work. Pitch just looked at her from where he was sitting. He had leaned up against the window with a glass of wine in his hand – there had been a bottle in a cooler left in the car and two glasses in glass holders. Elsa wondered what was going on in his head.

The driver pulled into some fancy restaurant. The driver opened the door for the pair of them and helped Elsa out of the car. The driver then sped off to park the car. Elsa walked into the restaurant with Elsa on his arm. Pitch asked for the table that he had reserved. The waiter walked them over to what looked like the best table the restaurant could offer. The waiter informed them of what the specials were and brought them water as well as menus. Elsa carefully looked at hers.

It was lucky that Elsa was brought up in the world of the rich and famous because otherwise, she wouldn't have understood the language that was used on the menu. If the menu didn't show that this was a fancy place then the prices certainly did. Elsa couldn't believe that she used to come to these places all the time and just ordered whatever. The waiter came back and took their order; Pitch ordered the steak and Elsa went for the fish. The waiter came back a few minutes later with their drinks.

During the time they waited for their meals to arrive, Elsa studied Pitch. They had only shared a few words but nothing conversation worthy. So far, everything was super awkward between them – for Elsa anyway. For one, he _was_ her boss. If they started dating, it would turn super awkward – well unless she ended up really liking Pitch. There was also the problem that Pitch was a bit of a jerk and she didn't know if she had anything in common with him. Conversation might be a good way to find out some things but she had no idea how to start this. But nothing came out of her mouth.

So they sat in silence. Pitch seemed to be studying what she was doing; the way she held herself, the way she drank her water, the way she tapped her fingers against the table. It didn't seem creepy the way he seemed to be staring. Elsa didn't know why.

"So tell me about yourself," the words just flew out her mouth. Pitch smiled when she spoke. He leaned forward to speak.

"I have lived in Burgess my entire life," Pitch said. "You know a few of the people I grew up with, they practically all live across from you." Elsa smiled at this. She already knew that Jack and the others grew up with Pitch. She had 'we know Pitch and we know he's a jerk' speech. Pitch continued to speak until the dinner arrived. He had gotten to finishing school and getting accepted into medical school when their food arrived.

"So medical school huh?" Elsa said. "That is amazing."

"My plan is surgery," Pitch said. "Being a surgeon has always been my dream. I want to help people." Elsa would have thought was very noble unless Jack had already told her that Pitch wanted to become a surgeon to fuel his ego. However it could still be true. It may just be a side effect of him wanting to save people.

They continued with some light conversation while they ate their dinner. Pitch had enquired about Elsa's blazer as he had been wondering whether or not she had been too hot but Elsa, who was feeling fine (and didn't want any of her scars poking out) eased his worries. Throughout the rest of their time together at the restaurant, Elsa just let Pitch talk about himself while they ate. She didn't particularly like talking about herself. It was just easier to let him talk about himself. Once they had finished, Pitch took the bill and paid for both of them – despite Elsa's insistence that she would pay her half. After they left and got into the car, Elsa texted Jack like he asked. The wonderment of what Jack was up to returned to her.

Maybe she will find out the truth and she may not. Who knows? Only time will tell.

* * *

Jack had spent the last hour searching Pitch's room and found nothing. He now wasn't even sure that there was even something to find in his room. The only thing in his room was medical things like textbooks, notes and equipment. Nothing personal at all was found. Jack wondered how someone could not personalise their room. His own room had picture of his friends and family splattered all over the walls.

Jack sighed after he looked through Pitch's drawers for the umpteenth time. He collapsed onto Pitch's bed. There was nothing here. This had been a huge mistake. Maybe Pitch wasn't up to something. Maybe he really had turned over a new leaf. But the way he was talking to that guy in the hallway made him think that something was up.

Jack sat straight up. It was as if a lightening had struck him. He had a sudden idea. Pitch had been talking to a guy about getting him something. Jack had an idea on what that something could be. He decided to search the one place he hadn't looked because he thought that there would be nothing relevant there. He opened Pitch's closet and started looking through his clothes. It was in his jacket that he was wearing the night of Jack's party that he found what he was looking for the past hour. It was test answers.

Jack could have shouted his joy but he decided not to. He relished in the thought that he had Pitch right where he wanted him. All he had to do was show this to the Dean and Pitch will get the boot. Jack's phone then buzzed. He saw that it was a text from Elsa. It was telling him that she and Pitch and Elsa were on their way home. He needed to get out of here. He quickly tidied up Pitch's room so it looked like it was before he intruded into it. He stuffed the test answers in his pocket and headed out of Pitch's room.

* * *

Pitch returned to his dorm after dropping Elsa off at her dorm room. He was practically crowing after his date. He had thought it had gone swimmingly well. He pushed open his room and found his friend for many years, Katherine Night sitting on his bed. Katherine Night was a tall lady with long raven coloured hair. She wore a scraggy white t-shirt that had a punk rock t-shirt on. The jeans she was wearing were ripped in several places and looked about ten years old. Her feet were bare and were lying on Pitch's pillow while her hair draped over the end of the bed and onto the floor.

Katherine and Pitch had been friends for many, many years. They had met at school all those years ago. Katherine was in the same building as Pitch – in fact she was just down the hall from Pitch.

Katherine looked up from the magazine she was reading. She looked unimpressed as always. She watched Pitch take off his suit jacket and hang it up in his closet. He sat down on the bed next to her while she looked back at her magazine.

"How was the date?" she asked him as she turned a page.

"Quite nice," Pitch replied.

"That's good to hear," Katherine spoke in a darkened tone.

"Jealous are we?" he asked. He then grabbed her by the mouth and pulled her closer to him. "You better not be as jealousy is an ugly colour." He released his tightening grip.

"I am not jealous," she said. She then grabbed him and kissed him full on the mouth. "Because you will be mine and not hers."

"We shall see," Pitch said. He leaned in and kissed her again. They've had this friends with benefits relationship for a while now but never made it official despite Katherine's insistence. Pitch, on the other hand, didn't want one. He enjoyed having her as someone he could sleep with no strings attached. Besides, he had started having feelings for Elsa. As they broke apart from their kiss, he realised that something wasn't quite right about the way he dresser was organised. It wasn't like that when he left.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"Did you move stuff around?" he asked her.

"No," she said, looking confused. "I know you're a nut job when it comes to people touching your stuff."

Pitch then got a horrible idea. He quickly headed to his closet and looked inside one of his jackets. It was gone. His test answers were gone. Pitch cursed very loudly.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," he kept repeating.

He ignored Katherine's confusing gaze. He knew who had been in his room now. It didn't take a genius to figure out what low life bastard had decided to invade his personal space and go rummaging around in his room. It was the guy who had always been on his case, who had witnessed his little scene the other week and who wanted him out of the university.

It was Jack Frost.

* * *

Elsa returned to her dorm room after her date feeling a little confused. Her date with Pitch was nice but it wasn't how she imagined a date would go. She thought that after a date, her mind was supposed to be filled with thoughts of her date which would make her feel like she's floating on air. Her brain was not sending this feeling. Was that her answer on how she thought the date went?

She found everyone in her dorm room when she entered it. They all looked up when she entered. It didn't take them one second before they started answering questions.

"How was it?" they all asked at the same time.

"I don't know," Elsa said as she headed to her room. They all looked like they wanted to keep asking questions but Elsa didn't stay around to answer them. She didn't know how to answer them and so she walked away. She stepped into the shoulder after she undressed. She allowed the water to fall onto her face. The date left her confused. She had thought that the date would allow her to decide whether or not to continue dating him. She didn't like him in that way but she had the strangest feeling that Pitch wasn't a guy to say no to.

Once she stepped out of the shower, she caught sight of her past scars. It had been a while since her last beating but her scars still looked as fresh as they did the night they occurred. She sighed as she stared at them. She quickly got into her pyjamas and head into her bed. She didn't go straight to sleep. She stared at her ceiling. Dark memories of her father's attacks came back to her as she lay in that one spot.

 _"_ _Daddy, please," eight year old Elsa begged to her father. "Please don't do this to me! What did I do?"_

 _"_ _You didn't do what I asked," her father said. "You need to be punished."_

 _His hand smacked across her face. She got to her feet and ran. She didn't know what else she should do. If she stayed, she could be hit again and she knew when her daddy hits her, she needed to get out of the way. She raced into the garden. She didn't stop running until she came to her secret spot in the garden; it was behind a tree near a stream. The earth dipped into the ground around the tree creating a small space. Elsa squeezed into this small space. It wouldn't be long before she would outgrow it. She dreaded that day's arrival._

 _Once she was inside this small enclosure, she let the tears stream down her face. She placed her hand to her cheek and winced. It hurt a lot. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest. It seemed oddly settling to her._

Elsa's eyes snapped open. She could still feel her heart thumping in her chest. Elsa took in some deep heavy breaths which allowed her heart to slow to its natural rhythm. She looked at the clock. It read five past four in the morning. How could it be after four am already? She could have sworn it was eleven am the morning, the time when she went to bed? She turned over to face her closed door. Eventually she drifted back off to sleep.

When she woke up, she was just as tired as she had been when she went to sleep. She headed into the kitchen to grab some coffee. Astrid was there. She watched Elsa down two cups of coffee, put a bagel in the toaster, have another cup of coffee and when the bagel popped, put an egg, tomato and smoked salmon on it.

"You do drink a lot of coffee," Astrid said as Elsa got another cup to go with her breakfast.

"Is liking coffee a crime now?" Elsa asked before she took a bite out of her bagel.

"No," Astrid was quite for a moment. She looked like she wanted to question this further but then decided not to and go with a different topic of conversation. "How was the date? You didn't give us a lot last night."

Elsa put down her bagel and looked at her friend.

"Honestly," she said, "I think it was…nice."

Astrid grinned. "That's what I wanted to hear." Elsa looked a little confused so Astrid rattled on. "Well if it had been a good date you would have come home with the 'I had such a wonderful time on my date and my entire body is filled with a warm, bubbly feeling' grin and you weren't crowing about the date last night and certainly not now so therefore the date was an 'okay date, good food but poor conversation and wasn't feeling anything for the guy' kind of date. So putting all this together, the date was probably a five or six out of ten which is an average date but not a good stage setter for a second date. No second date, so therefore you are not going to continue dating Pitch which is good because he's a fucking ass. So, like I said, it's what I wanted to hear."

"You got that all from 'nice'?"

"Am I wrong?"

"Answering a question with a question, I see," Elsa cracked a small smile. "No, you are not.'

"Yes," Astrid threw her hands in the air in her triumph.

* * *

Jack was walking around the campus on Sunday afternoon. He was feeling quite confident about things. He was currently on his way to the Dean – he hadn't called and made an appointment like you were supposed to but he didn't think it would matter. His brain was filled with many happy thoughts. Soon Pitch would be barred from continuing his medical degree and probably even expelled from the university. He wouldn't have to continue walking the same corridors with that obnoxious, egotistical son of a bitch. Those days were about to end.

Jack passed several students that he knew and waved cheerily at them. They waved back but they looked a little confused as to why Jack was in such a happy mood.

"I think someone got some last night or this morning," one of the students, called Jacob, said.

"Because that is the only thing that can make a man happy?" his girlfriend, Racheal, said while laughing.

"Jack has a three thousand word essay and a portfolio due next week," Jacob said. "So what else could it be?"

"Jacob speaks the truth," Racheal's twin brother, Dale, said.

"So was it Jules?" Jacob said before Rachael could say anything further. "Or was it someone else?" He gave Jack a wink which earned him a glare from Racheal.

Jack gave Jacob a scowl but then grinned. "Just some good news."

He waved goodbye and then continued walking on the way to the Dean's office. He had been walking for about ten minutes when someone completely caught him off guard. He had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't been paying attention to what had been going on around him. Suddenly someone had come up behind him and threw him against the wall behind Jack. Jack looked into the eyes of his attacker.

It was Pitch Black.

Jack stared into his eyes and smirked. Pitch was giving him a glaring look but Jack wasn't intimidated. He just smirked which made Pitch even more frustrated and angry.

"You got something of mine Frosty," Pitch said in a dangerous voice.

"I have?" Jack pretended to play dumb.

"Don't play dumb with me Frosty," Pitch said. "I know you were the one to find my test answers."

"So what if I did?" Jack said. "I thought the Dean should see it."

"Listen here," Pitch's voice got even more dangerous. "If you as so much as think about taking that to the Dean and telling him about what I am up to, your father will get a call."

Jack's smirk got wiped off his face. "You wouldn't dare," he whispered.

"Well we'll see won't be," Pitch said. "You give me the test answers and forget about everything, I won't have to make that call."

Jack gulped. He wanted Pitch out of his life but at what cost? The cost of Pitch calling his father was too much. Despite Jack's intense desire to get Pitch kicked out of the university, his intense desire not to see his father was even greater. Jack sighed and begrudgingly handed over the test answers. Pitch grinned and stuffed them into his jacket.

"You made the right choice," he said before he walked away.

Jack's grin was completely wiped off his face. Defeated, he turned around and headed back to his dorm room.

 **A/N: Sorry it's been a while. I've been doing stuff. First off Merry Christmas and Boxing Day - for all those who celebrate that. I know 2016 is just around the corner, so Happy New Year as well! Anyway, onto the chapter, Pitch and Elsa on a date - thankfully that doesn't look like that's going to last. Also, Jack appears jealous. Jelsa may be a little bit off - everyone okay with that? They will be coming soon, I just hope that you guys can wait for it. Also, what is Hans up to? His old tricks, no doubt! Anyway, I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **heartfulyumi: Glad that you have been enjoying it!**

 **Guest: Well, Astrid doesn't know Anna exists - Elsa hasn't mentioned her yet. There will be a happy ending - just what happens before that is interesting.**

 **WeirdWerewolffan: You may just have to wait and see!**

 **jennifersmith2198: Yeah Anna is a bit of a fucking bitch but it all turns out okay, just hold out on that. But I'm glad you think this story is amazing.**

 **Guest (Amy): Thanks so much! Elsa will get some help - it will just take some time. Everything gets explained in due course. It's just gonna take some time. A break up with Jules, you say? Hmm, that is coming but when? Don't worry about rants! I love to know what my readers are thinking!**

 **Victor Seris: Thanks so much!**

 **LexiLove241: Thanks so much!**

 **Guest: I feel so honoured! Thanks!**

 **forensicqueen7202: More you say? Then more is what you will get!**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! Hmm, not quite what I was going for but you are semi on the right track - maybe.**

 **AnthroDragon: May have to wait and see on that. I am also a Jack Frost fan, may have to see what I have in store for him.**

 **sanaa11: Yeah, she was so close! Jack found out a little bit more on Jack. I hope it will be interesting.**

 **Silent Reader: Thanks. PS: No, she won't but may have to wait for that.**

 **Guest (MixyBell): Thanks! Ah, it's doing what it's supposed to be doing then.**

 **150Songs: Thanks so much!**

 **Guest: There's two main ones; Astrid Winters and Astrid Hofferman. Sorry if it gets confusing.**


	13. What Happened In The Alley

**Chapter 13: What Happened In The Alley**

Anna was walking through Arendelle Park one bright and sunny Saturday morning. Anna had come home for the weekend as she had tickets to see a musical that was being shown in Arendelle. Her Aunt Greta had gotten the tickets for her, Anna's Uncle Klaus and Anna's cousin Astrid. Anna was happy that her aunt had thought of her and included her in the plans but she had no idea what the musical was about but apparently Aunt Greta had seen the movie that was based off the musical and adored it. So that was what Anna was in store for that night. She honestly didn't know if she was excited or not. She had kind of been in passive mood ever since her father's death and Elsa's running off.

Anna had decided that a walk would do her some good which is how she found herself in Arendelle Park that day. While she was walking, she was humming It's Raining Men – the Geri Halliwell version. She had watched the video clip on YouTube that morning and thus now had the song stuck in her head. Suddenly she found herself interrupted – mid chorus – when a rather large chocolate Labrador dog came racing towards her. The dog had its tongue out and looked rather happy with its massive smile and its wagging tail. The dog almost knocked Anna over in its eagerness and soon it was bouncing up and down and barking very excitably. Anna didn't really know what to do.

"Down Sven," came a voice she recognised. That boy, Kristoff, who Anna knew was a friend of Elsa's came running towards them holding a leash. The dog, Sven, calmed down and hurried back to its master. Kristoff panted as he approached Anna. "Sorry," he continued. "Sven gets a little excited."

"It's fine," Anna smiled at Kristoff. She crouched down and started to pant Sven. This just made Sven even more excited. He licked Anna's cheek with his wet slobbery tongue which made Anna laugh. "So," she said as they continued to walk down the park together. "I gather you come here often?"

"Well Sven likes it here so I guess so," Kristoff let out a short laugh. "What about you?"

"Well since I don't actually live in Arendelle, I would say not," Anna sighed as she looked around. "However it is nice here. So calming and relaxing. I can see why Sven likes it so much."

Kristoff smiled. "Say, you wanna go grab something to eat? There is the best burger joint around not too far off here. It's nearly lunchtime anyway."

"Sure," Anna smiled back at Kristoff. She needed some food anyway.

Kristoff placed a leash on Sven before walking with Anna down through the park. Anna felt a little weird being with Kristoff as he was Elsa's friend originally but Kristoff was nice plus she loved his dog. Besides, Sven was giving her the puppy eyes and how could she refuse them?

Kristoff led Anna out of the park and down the street beyond it. He allowed Sven to pull ahead and so he did. Sven would walk with his tongue hanging out and wagging his tail whenever someone walked on by. Anna would smile at Sven every now and then. They walked for about ten minutes before Kristoff pointed out a small little café that was called The Flying Moa. Anna looked inside and saw that inside, it had various artworks on the walls that had price tags attached to them. There were several tables both inside and outside out the café. She smiled at what she saw.

"If you don't like what's here, we can go somewhere else," Kristoff said, his voice getting smaller and smaller.

"It's great," Anna replied.

They entered and they saw a woman around Elsa's age was behind the register. She had long brown hair and was wearing a black t-shirt with a name tag pinned to it. Over the top of her t-shirt and her long jeans was a green apron.

"Hey," she smiled at them, "What can I get you?"

"I'll have a coffee and one of those mince pies," Kristoff said. He turned to Anna who was carefully examining the contents on the glass case that was full of food and the specials and menu written in white chalk on the blackboard.

"I'll also have a coffee and a toasted sandwich with ham," Anna said.

"Coming right up," the girl behind the counter said as she punched in the order into the register.

She gave Kristoff a card that said '50' on it. Kristoff took it and led Anna down to a table out the front. He tied Sven's leash to one of the legs of the table before he sat down. Anna put on her sunglasses as it was a nice sunny day and the sun was shining directly at them. A small silence fell between them while the waitress brought out their food. Kristoff had this smile on his face that made Anna feel funny inside. She tried to brush away the feeling but for some strange reason it didn't go away. What was she feeling? In the end, she ignored it.

"So," she said, trying to make polite conversation, "you come here often?"

"Sometimes yeah," Kristoff nodded. "Elsa was the one who showed me this place years ago when we came here for Rapunzel's birthday."

Anna felt her heart twinge at the mention of Elsa's name. She didn't want to talk about her sister. There were still quite some painful memories there. So instead she leapt at the opportunity to change the subject.

"So how long have you had Sven?" she said, almost quite cheerily. Kristoff gave her a funny look. He knew that she had changed the subject because of the mention of Elsa but, thankfully, he didn't say anything about it.

"About three years," he said. "I always wanted a pet and my adopted parents decided to fulfil that wish."

"You're adopted?" Anna said. She was glad that the topic was taking a different route now and into something interesting.

"Yeah," Kristoff got a saddened look.

"I'm sorry if it's too painful," Anna quickly said. She had only just realised that Kristoff must have gone through something horrible.

"Nah, it's okay," Kristoff smiled again which gave Anna that feeling from before. What was that? She tried to shake it but again, it was of no use. "I don't really remember it that much. My parents died in a car crash when I was two. I was in foster care for a bit before I was adopted by some wonderful people."

"That's good," Anna said.

Kristoff opened his mouth to continue speaking – probably to go into more details – but he was interrupted by the waitress bringing their food out.

"One coffee and mince pie," she said placing it in front of Kristoff, "and one coffee with toasted cheese sandwich with ham." She placed that order in front of Anna. "Enjoy," she said in a very cherry voice.

Anna bit of a piece of her toasted sandwich. It was very good. Their conversation changed consistently while they ate but that feeling that Anna had before didn't disappear. When she bade goodbye to Kristoff an hour later, it left her thoroughly confused.

* * *

Elsa was dreading going to work. She hadn't seen or spoken in any way shape or form to Pitch since the date. She wondered how he was going to take the news. She had this nagging feeling that he wasn't going to take the news very well. On the date, she had the feeling that Pitch seemed to like her a lot but so far, he hadn't asked her out on a second date. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe life could keep going on in the way it was going without the need for Elsa to tell Pitch that she just didn't like him in that way.

Besides, she had her mind constantly occupied by someone else these days. At least Astrid couldn't read minds. She wouldn't stop crowing if she could. Astrid wouldn't stop trying to get Elsa and Jack alone in the same room together. Two days ago (which had been several days since Elsa's date with Pitch), Astrid had invited them out to see a movie together only for her to mysteriously cancel on them. They had sat through the movie in awkward silence together. Well, at least Jack looked as embarrassed as she looked.

Elsa pulled on the black t-shirt that she wore for work before walking out into her living room where Astrid was waiting for her.

"Ready?" Astrid asked her.

"As I'll ever be," groaned Elsa.

Astrid laughed as she interlocked their arms. She marched Elsa out of their dorm room and all the way to work. On their way, they spotted Jack. Jack waved at Elsa and she gave a wave back. Astrid couldn't stop grinning.

"Stop it," Elsa muttered to Astrid as Jack walked towards them.

"I can't," Astrid said. "You're just way too easy Winters."

"You girls off to work I see," Jack said as he approached them.

"Yeah," Elsa felt herself go all weird. It always happened when she was around Jack. She couldn't stop it from happening.

"I'm off to do an assignment," Jack held up his books. One of them looked about the same thickness as a telephone book. "Who would have thought History of Art would have so much to learn?"

"We did warn you Jacky," Astrid said in a calm voice. "In fact, I specifically remember Tooth's older sister complaining about it and you being all," she deepened her voice to mock Jack, "it should be a piece of cake for someone of my talent."

"Mocking me," Jack said, "nice."

Both girls laughed.

"See you Jacky," they both said.

"Yeah, well, I hope your shift is packed!" Jack yelled after them which made both girls laugh even harder.

When they got there, Pitch was nowhere in sight. He was probably out back doing something. He often was there rather be out front dealing with customers. Dealing with customers wasn't really his forte. Elsa breathed a small breath of relief. She grabbed an apron from behind the counter and put it on. She took over from one of her co-workers who handed over the till. Elsa then happily greeted the next customer while out of the corner of her eye, she saw Astrid deliver some drinks.

Jack's wish was granted – the café was packed during Elsa's shift. Elsa hadn't known it to be this busy. There were at least seven other places where they could get coffee, was there something she wasn't aware of? Was it Drink Coffee Day or something? Elsa just sighed and went on with her shift. It didn't get any better – was Jack spreading the word around or something? They ended up having to call in some of Elsa's other co-workers to lend a hand. Every now and then, Elsa saw Pitch popping in and out of the back room. Every time they locked eyes, he would grin at her. The grin he was giving her, gave her the chills. There was something off about it. She didn't know what it was but it made her feel highly uncomfortable. She ended up avoiding his gaze.

Elsa was glad when the rush started to slow down towards the end of her shift. She finished up with her last customer – who was a bit of a relief from her previous customer who had her make his drink fifteen different ways before deciding that he liked the drink despite it being made the same way Elsa made it the first time – before starting to close down the store.

"Another day done," Astrid sighed to Elsa as she leaned against the counter.

"And like a billion more to go," Elsa replied as she started to count the day's earnings.

Astrid's phone then started to beep. She quickly opened her phone and read the message. She got this half disapproving, half amused stare on her face.

"What's happening?" Elsa asked.

"Oh Hiccup, that fool," she had this grin on her face. "He's locked himself out of his locker and he really needs his assignment so he can hand it in. He wants me to bring the spare key I have."

"You have a spare key to your boyfriend's locker?"

"I have like a spare key to everything he owns," Astrid laughed. "He's always losing his keys."

"Ah I see," Elsa was now laughing.

"You don't mind if I leave now? Hiccup is really panicking."

"No sweat," Elsa smiled at her friend. "I'll clean up here."

"Thanks," Astrid said. "I owe you."

Astrid grabbed her things and left the building as quickly as she could. Elsa could only smile as she started to wipe down the bench. Her other co-workers started to disappear as well. They all waved goodnight to Elsa as they left. Elsa wiped down the counters and the tables before locking the front door. She made sure that everything looked good for the next shift, the next day. She didn't want Pitch forcing her to re-clean something on her own time when she wasn't getting paid.

After making sure everything spic and span, she grabbed her bag and jacket from the back room before she headed out the back door as she always did after her shift. When she turned around after locking up the back door, she got a massive fright. Pitch was standing right behind her and he still had that creepy grin plastered all over his face. He looked a little bit like The Joker to her.

"Oh Pitch," Elsa's hand was over her heart. "You scared me."

"Sorry about that," he moved closer to her. Elsa had to summon up every bit of willpower she had not to step back. There was something about that grin that was making her feel very uncomfortable. "So, I was just wondering, have you been avoiding me?"

"Avoiding you?" Elsa stammered out. She forced her voice to get stronger. "No, I've just been busy. Law can be very tough."

Pitch looked happy to hear this. "I thought it would be something like that. I understand completely. For me, medicine can take up a lot of my time. I'm glad you're putting your education first."

"It's not going to interfere with my job if that is what concerns you," Elsa quickly said.

"Oh I'm not concerned about _that_ ," Pitch said. "No, what I am concerned with how it will affect other things."

"Other things?" Elsa repeated weakly. She really hoped he wasn't talking about what she thought he was talking about.

Pitch drew in closer again. Elsa could feel his cold breath on her face. She forced herself to look into his cold, black eyes. She didn't notice it before but the eyes reminded her of never ending tunnels; the kind that you would never see the light of day again and be lost to the world forever. Elsa fought the urge to shiver.

"I just thought that since we had such a great time when we went out, we could do it again."

Elsa didn't know how to reply to this. The date itself wasn't too bad but she was starting to see what the others were talking about. Pitch was creepy. Maybe she didn't want to see it before because for once she could go out and not have to deal with her father's over abuse. Maybe it was because a guy was giving her attention – well it wasn't as if back in Arendelle guys didn't want to ask her out but back then, she couldn't really give them the time of day as her father would go ballistic if she was spending her nights out with guys instead of studying. The memory of the belt was burned into her brain. Could she be going through some kind of rebellion stage? Although, her father probably would have approved of Pitch just based off the fact that he was going to medical school and had money.

"Elsa?" Pitch's voice came from nowhere. Elsa soon realised that she hadn't spoken in several minutes.

"Oh sorry," Elsa said. She tried to think fast. "I just don't think I have the time to have some fun. University work really takes it out of me."

"I see," Pitch's eyes narrowed. Elsa desperately hoped that he was buying this.

"We're starting to get into the full swing of the semester after all," Elsa added while putting on a fake smile.

"Okay," Pitch said very slowly.

"So," Elsa said slowly, "I'm gonna go."

Elsa made to leave but Pitch blocked her from going.

"I don't like it when people lie to me," Pitch said, his voice going very serious, "and I _know_ when people are." This time Elsa took a step backwards. Pitch's smile had been completely wiped off his face. It had been replaced with a most evil look. Elsa recoiled when she saw it. Gone was the charming Pitch. He was replaced with some evil monster. "Now, let's try this again." He gave her a long glaring look. "Why won't you go out with me this weekend?"

"I told you," she stammered, "I have uni –"

"Lies!" Pitch shouted while made Elsa cower in fear. A twisted expression covered his face. "It's that Frost guy isn't it? He's the reason why you're not going out with me."

"N-no," Elsa stuttered.

"Shut up," Pitch yelled at her. He slammed his fist against the door that Elsa had come out from. Elsa flinched. "You," he pointed his finger at her, "will go out with me on Saturday."

"And if I don't?" Elsa said in a small voice.

"You will not dare to refuse me," Pitch said very dangerous. He sounded a lot like her father and that was terrifying.

A voice was telling Elsa to just to it; to cave in. However, another voice was telling her not to do what Pitch wanted – to do what she wanted. She never had any choice with her father. Now she did.

"No," she said. "Pitch you are not the man I thought you were. I don't want to date you."

"How dare you!" he screamed at her.

He grabbed her and threw her against the door. The back of her head slammed really hard into the door. She groaned as she collapsed onto the ground. Stars were starting pop up in front of her as she stared into the intimating form of Pitch Black. Pitch picked her up at the collar and pulled her close to him. A vivid outline of her father briefly appeared in front of her. Elsa felt the same fear that she once felt.

"Let her go," came a familiar voice.

Elsa looked past Pitch and saw Jack tackle Pitch. Pitch let go of Elsa and she stumbled away. Pitch fell onto the ground while Jack stood over him. Pitch stood up but Jack slammed his fist into Pitch's face. Pitch fell down again. Pitch lay on the ground and tried to click his jaw back into place. Nice shot, Elsa thought.

"You," Pitch glared at his arch rival.

"Get the fuck out of here," Jack snarled at Pitch. "Unless you want another one. Knock some of those teeth out."

Pitch didn't say anything. It looked like he was thinking on what to do next. He then got to his feet and calmly walked away. Elsa sighed with relief. She was glad that Pitch didn't do anything further. She didn't want Jack to get into any trouble – that was if he wasn't in any at the moment.

"You okay?" Jack helped Elsa to her feet.

"Yeah, I think so," Elsa said. "Thanks so much Jack. I don't know what would of happened if you hadn't gotten here."

"I do," Jack said. "Pitch can be really brutal."

"I see that," Elsa said. She nearly collapsed from her pounding head. This pain wasn't new to her. She had felt it many times before when her father pushed her around.

"I think we need to get you an ice pack or something," Jack was looking at her with concerned eyes.

"No, no, I'm okay," Elsa said trying to walk but collapsing again. She felt dizzy and had to grip her head.

"Yeah, let's get you that ice pack," Jack helped her back into the coffee shop.

Jack placed her down at one of the booths before quickly disappearing. He reappeared with some ice wrapped in a tea towel. He handed it to Elsa who muttered her thanks. Jack sat down on the table as Elsa had taken up half the booth by lying down.

"You were right about him," Elsa said after several long minutes. "He is a creep."

"Yeah he is," Jack said.

"Was he like this at school?" Elsa asked him.

"Oh yeah," Jack said. A frown appeared on his face. "He was such a jerk at school. He would charm girls into falling in love with him and then he would crush their hearts by like cheating on them or use them to his advantage."

"That's horrible."

"Of course he had them wrapped so tightly around his finger that they would do anything he asked."

"Didn't he get a reputation for this kind of thing?"

"No," Jack looked a little sour. "Girls didn't realise that's what he was doing."

"Oh wow."

"Then of course he had the teachers spun round his finger too. He would make up all kinds of stories to get out work and when he did do the work, he would just cheat."

"Nothing happened to him?" Elsa gaped at Jack.

"Nope," Jack said. "The teachers and headmaster didn't see it."

"Didn't anyone complain?"

"They were too scared of Pitch to," Jack said. "I considered it myself but I never had the guts to."

"I guess he was quite the boogieman."

"Yeah he was."

Silence fell between them. Elsa just held the ice pack against her head. It seemed to be working.

"Listen Jack," Elsa said, "please can you not mention this to anyone?"

It had been something that was prying on her mind. Jack could easily go tell someone and it wouldn't be long before it got out. Elsa didn't want to be labelled as victim. It would follow her for the rest of her life.

"Wait, what?" Jack said. He looked at her incredulously. "Elsa you gotta tell people – the Dean for starters. He could be kicked out for this. Do you want that monster walking around?"

"Please Jack," there were almost tears in her eyes. "I don't want to make a fuss."

"Elsa," Jack's voice was surprisingly calm, "you should tell someone."

"If you say anything, I'll deny it," Elsa said, firmly.

Jack looked surprised at this. "I can't make you press charges against him." Jack stood up. He looked a little disappointed in her. Elsa hated the way he was looking at her but she had no choice. She knew what she wanted. "But I think you shouldn't let him get away with this."

Jack left Elsa lying there. She knew he was angry but she just couldn't say something. She didn't want to admit why she wasn't saying anything; to be seen as a victim. Was it that hard to ask for a normal life? To just be seen as someone who hadn't been assaulted. Well at least Jack didn't know about her past – she had worked hard to keep it that way and so far, it was working. He would be up in arms if he knew the truth. However, Elsa knew that she should say something but she couldn't. All those years, she never said anything about her father and here was the same thing happening all over again. When she came to Burgess, she made a vow to herself that she would never let anyone push her around like how he did and now it had happened before.

Elsa sighed as she sat up. Her head still felt a little dizzy. Maybe she should go to the nurse or something. Making up a story wouldn't be too difficult. She could say she tripped and hit her head. Elsa walked out of the coffee shop and closed the door behind her before she locked up. Maybe she shouldn't. She didn't want to give Pitch the satisfaction. Speaking of Pitch, seeing him every time she went to work may just be too difficult for her. Her next shift was in a couple of days which gave her time to think of a reason to quit other than the night's events. Well Elsa sighed again. This means she would have to find another job which was going to be difficult. Any decent job would have been taken ages ago and it wasn't like money grew on trees. She could just tell Astrid that being around Pitch made her feel uncomfortable. Astrid would understand. Well, Astrid would see right through that. Astrid pretty much could tell whenever something was going on. It was a gift for her. Hopefully she would just nod and stay with her when it was time to close up. Well at least it could have been a lot worse than it actually was. She had endured a lot worst. If Jack hadn't shown up, who knows what could have happened?

Elsa walked down the back alleyway and into the main area of the university. There was no one about which surprised her. Usually there would be several students loitering around doing something or another. Jack was nowhere to be seen. Elsa hoped with every fibre of her being that Jack would keep his word. Jack seemed like the kind of guy that when he saw injustice, he would do everything in his power to stop it. If he did say something, Elsa would have to deny it. Her injuries could easily be explained by her tripping and hitting her head – something along those lines. Pitch certainly wouldn't back Jack up. Pitch would side with Elsa. He didn't want to Elsa to tell the truth. It would just hurt him. The only way that Elsa would ever say what really had happened, would be if Pitch decided to cause trouble for Jack. That wasn't something she wanted.

Elsa's footsteps echoed all around her. Her head was still pounding. At least that was the only injury that she had and she had survived a lot worst. Thankfully the place was empty. She didn't want to explain why she was stumbling every few footsteps and had an ice pack at her head. When Elsa returned to her dorm room, she popped her head through the doors to check to see if anyone was awake. Thankfully everyone had already gone to bed. Elsa quickly tiptoed to her bed.

Once there, she flopped down onto her bed. The images of the night's events were still haunting her brain. This whole situation seemed very strangely familiar. She had been this position before – way too many times. Even though now Jack knew about what happened, she was glad that he knew. She had just frozen. She just let Pitch do what he wanted – just like what happened with her father. She sighed very heavily. Why does this keep happening to her? Was she not allowed a normal life? Is this kind of stuff just going to keep following her? When was she going to be able to fight back? Who knew when that would happen? Also, what was she going to do now? She guessed she would do what she always did; just pretend nothing was wrong and just keep going through life normally. But could she keep doing that? Truthfully, it was all that she can do. Elsa didn't want people to know that this happens to her. She didn't want to be seen as a victim. She didn't want people to know the truth.

Elsa got into her pyjamas and under her covers. She stared at her bedroom wall for several long minutes as she tried to get Pitch's scary face out of her head. Her eyes finally drooped due to tiredness and finally closed. Her usual nightmares returned but this time there was a new villain in them; Pitch's dark, twisted and evil face kept waking her up.

* * *

Jack walked through the campus with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. He didn't know what he should do. The whole thing that had just happened with Pitch made him feel anger like he had never felt before. He had attacked one of his closest friends because she had rejected him. He let out a long groan into the night. Well, he wasn't just going to sit around and stand for it. He needed to do something about it. The only problem was that he made a promise to Elsa that he wasn't going to say anything to anyone.

Jack kicked a stone and it rolled down the pavement and into the gutter. He sighed as he leaned against the building next to him. What was he going to? Jack was bounded by his promise to Elsa. If he broke that, Elsa would hate him and he couldn't live with himself if Elsa did even if it felt morally wrong not to say something. He did another deep sigh and continued walking.

This situation was totally fucked up. How was Elsa allowing Pitch to get away with this? Why was she letting him get away with attacking her? By doing so, just sent Pitch a message saying that he could just attack her and not face any consequences. Well it _is_ her decision to say or not to say anything. It just frustrated the hell out of him that she had chosen the latter. She needed to go to the Dean and get Pitch's arse out of here.

Jack stopped dead in his tracks. He had just thought of something that could fix this whole situation and not break his promise to Elsa. However it would require him making a huge sacrifice but it was totally worth it for Elsa. He didn't want her living in fear and be forced to see her attacker whenever she went to work. He had to do this – for her. Jack took off down the street and back towards his dorm room. He didn't see anyone – truth be told, he half expected to see Elsa making her way back to her bed but he didn't. He didn't even bother to wait for the elevator – instead he raced up the stairs and burst through his dorm room door which gave Tadashi and Honey quite a fright. Tadashi paused the movie that he and Honey were watching to give Jack a long, confused stare.

"What the…?" his voice just trailed off.

"Tadashi where are your tools?" Jack asked. Years ago, Tadashi had bought several items that Jack needed due to a little mishap when they had been at school.

"First drawer in my bedside table," Tadashi answered, still looking highly confused. "Why?"

Jack didn't even bother answering. He just sprang into action. He raced into Tadashi's room, found what he was looking for and sprinted out waving his thanks at Tadashi's bewildered stare. Jack took off as he raced out of his dorm room and out into the street beyond. There was still no one about which Jack figured to be a good thing. What he was about to do wasn't very ethical and was against the law. However, Jack was willing to risk it. Pitch needed to be taught a lesson. If Elsa didn't want to speak up, Jack was going to deliver some justice of his own. All it was going to take was a little risk on Jack's part.

Pitch's building drew nearer and nearer. Jack desperately hoped that Pitch wasn't in his dorm room. He knew that Pitch had a certain female friend that he liked to spend nights with. He hoped that he was with her tonight and not in his dorm room. Could he really be this lucky – twice? He guessed he was about to find out. When Pitch's building came into sight, Jack entered the after hour's code. He knew about it because his friend, Fred, lived in this building and he sometimes forgot how to get back in. Thankfully, Jack was there to help. The numbers just burned into his brain. The code was 1852 – the year Antoni Gaudí was born. Jack was a bit of know-it-all when it came to art and apparently so was the guy who decided on what the code should be.

Jack pulled the door open and entered the dorm room. He ducked behind a plant as he saw a security guard come his way. If that guard saw him, he could be kicked out of the building. The security guard walked down to the door and then paused there. Jack quickly ducked out from behind the plant and headed up to the stairs. The guard didn't even turn around. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, it was late enough so there was no one around. Seeing someone may be a bit of an issue. He would have been spotted as someone who didn't belong from a mile away.

Once he appeared on the right floor, he tiptoed along it to find Pitch's room. He gently rested his fingers on the door handle and turned it. It was locked. Jack pulled out the set of tools that he got from Tadashi; his lock picking set. Years ago, Tadashi lost the key to the storage locker that he was renting. It contained anything to do with his projects including his masterpiece; Baymax – his robotic nurse as his brother Hiro often said. There was some kind of mix-up at the office and thus there was no spare key. So Tadashi bought a lock picking set just so he could get to his projects. There may have been other options at the time but Tadashi was desperate.

Jack started on the door. He looked up every few seconds to make sure no one was about. There was a small click and the door opened. Jack gently opened the door and took a peek inside. The first thing he noticed was that Pitch was not in his room. He breathed yet another sigh of relief. It would have been so awkward if he had been.

Jack quickly shut the door. He didn't know how much time he had. Pitch could just be out at some kind of study group or may just be wandering about after the little incident. Jack was hoping that he went to spend the night with that mistress of his. Jack started looking all around Pitch's room. He needed to find that proof. Pitch could have hidden it anywhere since he took it off Jack. He may not even have it anymore. For all Jack knew, he could have burnt it to make sure there was no evidence.

After searching through the closet, the drawers and the desk, Jack lay down on the bed. He wasn't sure if it was even here. The idea that Pitch could have destroyed it became more and more likely. Jack sighed as he sat up. Maybe he should get out of here. Pitch could be coming back to his dorm room. Jack was about to leave when he tripped over some clothes that Pitch had left on the ground. His fingers reached out to grab the table but all it did was grasp one of Pitch's textbooks and that too fell down onto the ground. The book sprung open. Jack picked himself off the ground and placed the book back on the table.

That's when he saw it. It was just lying there. Jack picked it up. It was a folded piece of paper. He didn't know what it was. His curiosity made him opened it. It turned out to be what he wanted; the proof that Pitch was a cheater. Jack could hardly breathe due to excitement. This was what he wanted. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and left the room. He somehow managed to get out of the building unseen. It had been a miracle that Pitch hadn't come back – Jack knew that he had been with Katherine Night – and that he hadn't been seen by anyone.

When he entered his dorm room, he found that Tadashi and Honey were no longer on the couch. He was thankful for this. He didn't want to explain what he had been doing. He knew that Honey would have problems with what he had been doing. Jack swiftly entered his bedroom and threw himself onto his bed. The night's events were still burned into his brain. He hoped that Elsa was okay. She had been through a lot. Hopefully, what he was about to do, would make the situation slightly easier. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

The sun shined onto his pillow and Jack quickly got up. He quickly looked at the clock; it was ten past eight. Even though he had class at nine, he didn't care. He had more important things to do, for example, going to the Dean's office before Pitch realised that Jack had been in his room again. Jack quickly got through the shower, got dressed (he had trouble with his pants and in his hurry, he had fallen onto the ground) and left the dorm. He didn't even respond to Bunnymund asking him if wanted pancakes.

Jack soon found himself outside Dean Harkon's office at five past nine. His receptionist had told him to wait as the Dean was already in a meeting. Jack was cursing under his breath. If only it hadn't taken him a while to get out of his door. The minutes ticked by and Jack felt like they were taking forever to go by. He started getting nervous. His legs started jigging and his hands wouldn't stop tapping his knees. Possible scenarios started to enter his head. What if the Dean turns on him? What if he is the one that is expelled instead of Pitch? As the minutes ticked by, that seemed to be the most likely situation.

Suddenly the door open and the Dean was walking out with a lecturer that Jack didn't know. They were shaking hands and they were finishing off their conversation. The lecturer grinned as he left. The Dean and his receptionist exchanged some words and she pointed in Jack's direction. The Dean turned around and grinned at Jack.

"Ah Mr Frost," The Dean clapped his hands together. "I hear you wish to see me."

"Yes sir," Jack responded as he jumped to his feet. "Only if you're not too busy sir."

"I have some free time," The Dean said. "I gather this is important?"

"Yes sir," Jack replied.

The Dean gestured for Jack to enter his office and Jack did so with The Dean right behind him. Jack sat down at the desk while The Dean took his usual seat behind his desk and stared at Jack as if he was trying to figure out why Jack asked for a meeting.

"So Mr Frost," The Dean said. "What can I do for you?"

"I wish you discuss a certain student with you," Jack said.

"Ah," The Dean looked intrigued. "Which student? May it be Miss Winters who I hear you have been flirting with?"

"How do you know that?" Jack was taken aback.

"I hear and see everything Mr Frost, the gossip never stops," The Dean laughed. "So which student?"

"Pitch Black," Jack said, "and I wasn't flirting by the way."

"So you say," The Dean grinned at Jack. "So Pitch Black, I understand you two have quite the history."

"Yes we do sir."

"So what seems to be the problem?" The Dean leaned forward and grasped his fingers together.

"Sir, if I may be blunt, Pitch Black has been cheating."

"Cheating?" The Dean the raised his eyebrows and looked surprised. "That is a serious accusation Mr Frost. You know that we take cheating very seriously at this university. Do you have any proof?"

"I have this," Jack handed The Dean the test paper that he found. "It's the answers to a test coming up."

The Dean looked over the test. He didn't like what he was seeing.

"I will have to confirm this with his lecturers before I can do anything," The Dean said. "How did you come by this or do I not want to know?"

"I think it's best that you don't know where I got it," Jack said, feeling a little guilty as he sunk into his chair.

"You know I have to punish you for doing what you don't want me to know about."

"Yes," Jack said wearily. He knew this was coming. He had kind of hoping it wouldn't.

"How about you 'volunteer'," he made air quotes when he spoke that word, "for the art department in helping clean-up for the next couple of weeks?"

"I could do that," Jack actually thought that wasn't a bad punishment.

* * *

Pitch woke up early one day due to knocking on the door. It had been loud that Pitch groaned when he woke up.

"Who is that?" Katherine groaned next to him.

"We'll see," Pitch threw on some clothes and opened the door. Some random man was standing behind it. "Can I help you?"

"The Dean wishes to see you," the guy said.

Pitch was confused. Why would the Dean want to see him? He quickly got dressed into something a bit more presentable – nice black pants to go with his black blazer and black shirt – before heading over the Dean's office. He had been told to wait. He was a little nervous. This had never happened to him before. He didn't know what he should say other than wait. Eventually he was told he could go in.

"Ah, Mr Black," the Dean said.

"You wanted to see me?" Pitch took a seat as the Dean sighed.

"Dreadful business Mr Black," the Dean said. He pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to Pitch. Pitch took it and recognised it straight away. "You obviously recognise it." Pitch nodded. "Then you must know what I am about to say," the Dean signed while Pitch sweated a little. "Mr Black, we take cheating very seriously here. It is not something we tolerate. We have confirmed with your lecturers that these are indeed test answers to upcoming tests and therefore it is not my pleasure to say that you have been expelled from this university."

Expelled? The word kept repeating around his head. He had been expelled? Pitch's fists clenched. How can this be happening to him? How dare they expel him! He knew who was responsible for this. Jackson Frost, Pitch thought, your days are numbered.

* * *

A few days had passed since the whole Pitch incident. The wound on the back of her head was no longer throbbing and was now healing. Somehow, Elsa was getting on with her life which was something she didn't know how she was doing that. Forgetting it, on the other hand, was a whole new problem. Every night so far, her usual nightmares had Pitch mixed in with them. Elsa groaned when she woke up. Today was her first time seeing Pitch since the assault. She didn't even want to get out of bed. She simply put her covers over her head, wishing that she would just fall asleep. She just wanted it to all go away and for her to not even have to deal with this. However her alarm clock had other plans. The constant, annoying sound it was making was making it impossible for Elsa to get back to sleep.

"Whoever's alarm clock that is, can you tell it to shut the fuck up?" Gogo's demanding voice from down the hall could be heard.

Elsa slammed her palm down on the off button to turn off her alarm. She groaned again, however, she forced herself to roll out of bed - literally. She let out a yelp as she miscalculated the roll and fell into the space between her bed and her bedside table.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit," Elsa kept muttering to herself as tried to get herself out of the situation she was in. Pain was also radiating throughout her body. She kept wincing in pain every few seconds.

"Elsa's in trouble guys," came Gogo's voice as she walked past Elsa's room.

"No she's not," Elsa called back. She managed to pull herself out of the space and back onto her feet. The only downside now was that her sides hurt. She limped towards her door. When she headed into the hallway, Elsa forced herself to stop limping. Once inside her kitchen, she collapsed down at the table.

"Okay, what is up with you?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," agreed Honey, "you've been weird for the last few days."

"No I haven't," Elsa quickly said.

"Too be honest, you've always been weird," Gogo said as she stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth.

"This is true," Astrid said.

"You're not hiding something are you?" Honey pointed with her spoon at Elsa.

"Like what?" Elsa said.

"Like a deep dark secret," Astrid said in a mysterious voice.

"I don't have one and FYI, I wouldn't tell you even if I had one," Elsa said to Honey, "because you were the one who told me that Astrid and Hiccup had sex right outside my bedroom while I was studying."

"Honey!" exclaimed Astrid.

"You're no good either," Elsa turned to face her. "You're the one who told me that Honey skipped school to go shopping and then lied to the nurse when she found out that she had missed a quiz that was worth a part of her grade."

Honey glared at Astrid and then shrugged. "Well your secret was a lot worse than mine."

"Yeah about that," Astrid got to her feet. "How did you even know about that?"

"I came home early and saw you two going at it," Honey laughed.

"What!" Astrid shouted at Honey.

Elsa just giggled as she grabbed a cup of coffee and some toast before heading back to her room to change for work. She dragged her feet along the floor as she headed to work. Today was Astrid's day off so she wouldn't be joining her. Elsa wished she was coming with her. It would stop Pitch doing something else if Astrid was with her. Maybe she should call in sick and then head to the library to do some work. She did have an Assignment due next Monday and it was only half finished. Or she could go join Jack in the art room and help him set and clean things up. He had told her that he had volunteered there in order to make himself look good to his lecturers. However she knew she couldn't lie. It just didn't feel right. So she just continued to drag her feet along the ground.

Soon enough, the café where she works came into view. Elsa took in a few deep breaths and entered the café. The first she noticed was that Pitch wasn't there. This was highly unusual to her. Pitch never missed work. This was very peculiar. Her eyebrows narrowed in her confusion.

"Hey Julie," Elsa asked one of the other waitresses. "Where's Pitch?"

"Dunno," Julie responded with a shrug. "He never showed up this morning and hasn't been in all day. I've sent him a few texts and I know Carl called him but nothing."

"Weird," Elsa replied. "Do you know what happened to him?"

"Could be sick," Julie shrugged again. "I know there's a bug around. My boyfriend has it."

"Maybe," Elsa didn't know what to make of this.

"Oh this is for table four," Julie said as she handed Elsa a tray containing four cappuccinos, two coffees and a hot chocolate. Elsa took the tray and headed over to table four.

Overall, Elsa didn't know if she had a better day at work. Knowing that Pitch was around her, breathing down her neck allowed a smile to grow over her face. She had been dreading coming into work but now, she was having so much fun at work. Even when one of their horrible regulars was being a total arse, Elsa still managed to handle him with the biggest smiles on her face.

Elsa headed back to her dorm room at the end of her shift in very high spirits. She practically almost skipped home. She was still feeling depression about the whole incident with Pitch, just him not being at work made her feel a little better – even though she knew that she would just see Pitch in a couple of days anyway. Just the fact that she didn't have to see Pitch so sound after his assault on her was the reason for her happy mood.

"What's got into you?" Astrid asked when Elsa walked through the door. She seemed to be surprised by Elsa's good mood especially since Elsa had been in such a bad one just that morning.

"Just a good day at work," Elsa sat down at their table with a grin on her face. "But the funniest thing happened at work."

"What happened?" Honey asked.

"Pitch wasn't there today," Elsa's had said but her voice had been drowned out by the sound of the door opening and Tadashi walking in.

"So is it true?" Astrid asked as soon as he walked in. Everyone's attention was now on Tadashi.

"Is what true?" Elsa asked.

"Yep," Tadashi responded as he took a seat next to Honey and ate a bit of her food.

"Is what true?" Elsa repeated but no one was giving her any answers.

"I can't believe it," Honey said.

"Can't believe what?" Elsa asked but again, it was of no use. Everyone's eyes were firmly on Tadashi.

"Wow," Astrid leaned back in her chair. "So the little devil Pitch Black has finally been expelled."

"Pitch has been fucking what?" Elsa shouted. Her mouth was gaping open and her face had a look of pure surprise etched all over it.

"Expelled," Astrid repeated as she turned to look at Elsa.

"What?" Elsa spluttered. "When? How?"

"Turns out Pitch is a little cheater," Tadashi explained. "They found him in possession of some test answers to an upcoming test."

"When?" Elsa repeated, looking a little dumbstruck.

"Yesterday afternoon," Tadashi said. "Jack told me. Apparently he was the one who tipped off the Dean in the first place."

Jack? Elsa's mind was spinning. Was Jack the reason why Pitch was kicked out? Elsa had to find out. She quickly got to her feet and left the dorm room. She got to talk to Jack. She hoped that he hadn't mentioned anything about the incident the other day. He had promised her that he wouldn't but he didn't seem too happy about it. Jack got a surprise when she opened the door.

"Hey Elsa," he said.

"So," she said. "I heard you got Pitch kicked out."

"Well he had it coming."

"I hope you didn't do it because of me."

"Well…" Jack's voice trailed off. They both fell silent. Elsa knew that Jack helped to get Pitch expelled so that she wouldn't have to deal with him ever again. She couldn't help but feel grateful for what Jack had done for her. Not having to deal with Pitch was certainly a load off for her. Pitch had been a creep and his attack on her, had given her a good scare – one she hadn't felt since the night her father had died. With him gone, Elsa could attempt to move on. She just hoped that Jack hadn't gone to too much trouble for her. Elsa smiled at Jack before waving goodbye to him. She left feeling as if all was right with the world.

That night Elsa went to bed feeling quite content with what had happened. Pitch was gone. He could no longer bother her thanks to Jack. Pitch may be in her nightmares but she will move on from that –well that was the plan anyway. Elsa's eyes closed and she felt herself drift into dreamland.

 _Elsa returned home from school one day. She had a long hard, gruelling day at school. Her workload had doubled since yesterday. She didn't realise how it could have gotten this bad. Then again, she was doing extra credit work in order to get her GPA up so that she could get into a decent university plus she didn't do her homework yesterday – her father had been in a horrible mood as one of his board members wasn't doing what he wanted – and so she had hid in her closet pretending to do work so that he didn't have a reason to bother her. He never did while she worked._

 _She gently opened the front door and poked her head inside. Her father hadn't returned home yet. She breathed a sigh of relief. She kicked off her shoes and carefully placed them by the front door. She moved down the hallway – making a quick pit stop at her bedroom to change out of her school uniform and to drop off her bag on her bed – and into the kitchen where she got cooking. While the roast was in the oven, she made a start on her homework._

 _She was halfway through her calculus homework (after finishing off her chemistry mock quiz, her readings for biology and her exercises that were set for Economics) when her father walked through the door. He didn't even give her a look as he walked into the kitchen to see what was for dinner. He opened the oven and took in the smells of the roast._

 _"_ _What roast is this?" he asked, not even looking in her direction._

 _"_ _Lamb," Elsa said in a small voice. She knew that her father's favourite roast was lamb. Hopefully it will be enough to defuse any anger that was coursing through him. Her father then shut the oven and didn't say anything further. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. Dinner had been a quiet affair. There wasn't a single word spoken between Elsa and her father while they ate. Elsa ate quickly; the less time she had to spend in the company of her father the better._

 _The rest of the evening passed away without too much interaction between Elsa and her father. Well until it was about quarter past eight in the evening. Elsa was in her room, working on the homework she had been set for today. She had managed to finish yesterday's and the day's before homework while she had been waiting for the roast to cook. She still had to do all the extra credit stuff and that was due tomorrow as well. Elsa could feel the pressure being forced down on her. Well, if it came to it, she would be working until the early hours of the morning. She couldn't slack now. If she did, her dreams of getting away from her father, would drift away. Besides, her father's anger may be something she couldn't do._

 _"_ _Elsa," Elsa heard her father yell from his spot in the lounge. She sprinted to the lounge. Keeping him waiting wasn't a smart option. When she came into the room, she found her father holding a hot poker._

 _"_ _No," she whimpered._

 _"_ _You're behind on your work," he said. "You aren't doing your best. I believe it's time to teach you a lesson on what happens to slackers in this family."_

 _"_ _No, Papa, no," Elsa screamed. Her father grabbed her, forced her to the ground and she felt the hot poker sear into her back._

Elsa quickly sat up in bed. She could feel a searing pain in her back as if the hot poker was real and not just in her nightmare. She fell back on her pillow and tried going back to sleep but she couldn't. Maybe a walk would do some good. Elsa got out of bed and headed into her bathroom. She lifted up her pyjama top to reveal the deep long gashes and burn marks that was a constant reminder of the abuse she had to endure.

She sighed deeply. What was she going to do about the nightmares? Would she just keep having them until the end of time? Was her father just going to continue to haunt her until her own death? Elsa didn't know how much she could handle. She was already dependent on at least five cups of coffee a day just to be able to function at somewhat a normal level. The nightmares were just going to continue making life difficult for her. This needed to stop and it needed to stop now.

The door suddenly opened and Elsa quickly dropped her top as Astrid walked in. Astrid looked a little surprised to see Elsa in the bathroom.

"Oh sorry," Astrid said. "I didn't know that anyone was in here."

"It's okay," Elsa smiled at Astrid. "I was just leaving anyway."

Elsa left Astrid alone in the bathroom and headed back to her bed. She got under the covers and just stared up her ceiling. Maybe she should get some help. It would certainly be a better idea than just trying to push through it.

* * *

"Miss Waters, your four o'clock is in your office waiting for her," Miss Water's receptionist said to her as she walked towards her.

"Thanks Susie," Miss Waters replied.

Miss Waters was a woman in her early thirties. She had shining brown hair that fell gracefully down to her shoulders. She was dressed in a grey pencil skirt and a matching blazer with a black blouse underneath it to go with her black high heels. She had small golden hoop earrings that were threaded through her eyes and on her left hand, was a stunning diamond ring.

Miss Waters walked into her office where a young woman with blonde hair was waiting for her. Miss Waters smiled at her and apologised for the wait. Her lunch meeting had gone on for a little longer than she had anticipated. The woman told her to think nothing of it. Miss Waters sat behind her desk, kicked off her heels – she didn't like to wear her heels for too long – and turned on her computer. She brought up a new file for a new patient. Miss Waters asked the woman some basic questions like her name, age etc. before asking her to lie down on the couch which she did. Miss Waters pulled her chair up close to the couch. Miss Waters poised her pen just above the paper on the clipboard she was holding.

"So Elsa," Miss Waters said after a small pause. "What can I do for you?"

There was a silence that filled the room.. The other woman in the room seemed to be struggling with what she was going to say. Miss Waters knew that she was struggling with saying what she had kept hidden for probably years. Miss Waters simply just waited. If she said anything, she could scare this girl. There were a few more pauses before the other woman decided to speak.

"My father abused me," the woman, Elsa, spoke in a small voice, "and I need help with the PTSD that I have due to it."

* * *

 _"_ _You," shouted a voice. "Come here!"_

 _A small child, not seven in age trembled as he walked towards the towering man in front of him._

 _"_ _Yes?" the child whispered._

 _"_ _What did I tell you about leaving you toys lying about?" the man shouted._

 _"_ _I'm sorry Dad," the child shouted._

 _"_ _Looks like you haven't learnt you lesson from last time," the man grabbed the child's arm and twisted it so hard, the child felt a snap._

Jack woke up, covered in sweat. He lay back down on the bed, panting slightly as he did. He turned over and stared at his Middle Earth map. He forced himself to calm down and for his heart stop racing. It was just a dream, he told himself, just a dream.

* * *

Pitch sat down at one of the tables in a large grey room. Around him, was other tables with people sitting down and talking at them. On one side of the table, was a man in orange overalls with numbers in black lettering on the back. On the other side, were relatives of friends of the men in the orange overalls. Pitch entwined his hands together and rested his head on them while he waited. He was waiting for a very important person.

The door opened and a man walked in. The man was tall and built like a rugby player. He had blonde hair that was mattered and had a shaggy appearance. He was wearing the same orange overalls like the other men in the room and his hands were in chains. Pitch told the security guard who was bringing him in that the chains weren't needed. The security guard undid the chains and walked to one side of the room. The man in the orange overalls sat down at the bench that Pitch was at and stared at him with his cold, crystal blue eyes.

"Kozmotis Pitchiner," the man in the orange overalls breathed. He looked a little surprised to see Pitch had been the one who had come to see him. "It's been a long time since I saw you sitting before me."

"Indeed it has," Pitch answered. "I go by Pitch Black now by the way."

"I see," the man shuffled as he tried to get comfortable on the cold, hard seat. His eyes never left Pitch's eyes. "So what brings you here? I gather that this isn't a social visit."

"Indeed it isn't," Pitch smiled at the man. "I come bearing news about your son." He spoke that last word oh so delicately.

"My son?" this seemed to peak the man's curiosity. "What do you have to say about him?"

"Let's just say that I know where he is," Pitch paused for dramatic effect which seemed to man sitting opposite him grin, "and if you wanted to inflect any more lessons onto him, let's just say that I won't be too opposed to that."

"So," the man said in a deadly whisper. "You know where dear old Jacky boy is?"

"Indeed I do Mr Frost," Pitch said.

Vincent Frost grinned an evil grin. "Jacky boy, you will pay for putting me in here. Just you wait. One more year and I'll be free."

Pitch matched Mr Frost's evil grin with his own. Yes, Jackson Frost, he thought, soon my own revenge on you will be complete as well and I'm going to use your own father to do it for me.

 **A/N: I'm back guys! So sorry I've been AWOL! I've been doing university work (summer school has been annoying) plus had a little bit of writer's block didn't help. Thanks for being so patient with me! I hope that this chapter made up for my AWOLness. Well since both Christmas and New Years have both gone by (has it really been that long since I updated? Wow, super sorry again guys. Thanks for waiting.), I hope everyone had a great holiday. I sure did. It's been a nice hot summer for me, so that's been nice. Anyway, it looks like a bit of Jack's history is revealed (some people have guessed that already), Elsa is finally going to get some help and Pitch tried to do something with Elsa but thankfully Jack stepped in to save the day. What is going to happen next? I have an exam on Tuesday so my next update may be a bit away. So sorry again guys! I thank you guys so much for being so patient with me! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Charllote64: Thanks so much for your kind words! May have to wait to see what Hans is up to but we get a taste of what Pitch is up to. Hopefully you won't have to wait too much longer on Jelsa.**

 **Sophia Chung: So sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoyed the update!**

 **creepykid1102: Will do!**

 **x treme jelsa: Wow, thanks so much.**

 **JackElsaforeve: Hmm, interesting choice. I'll probably have Elsa sing Let It Go at some point though.**

 **Guest (MixyBell): Not dead! Sorry for the long wait. I've been super busy. Thanks for waiting! Also thanks for the Christmas wishes, right back at you (even though Christmas was like two months ago). I hope you had a great holiday! Thanks!**

 **Guest: Anna may have to wait on being told the truth - that is if she does. Don't slug her yet! Elsa does need her sister and Anna does need to realise the truth. Hopefully that will come to pass.**

 **haydoll22: Thanks so much! Yeah been trying to write longer chapters. I know people enjoy them.**

 **ZERO-xxx: Well your wish does come true in this chapter - she goes to talk to a therapist. Keeping it bottled up inside is hurting her and hopefully going to see a therapist will help that.**

 **heartfulymi: You may have to wait and see on that one.**

 **PrincessofNatureSilverMoon: Oh wow, that is such a compliment. Thanks so much.**

 **QueenMaylina8Candy: Yeah that is where I got the name from. I hope you enjoy the books. Thanks so much!**

 **sanaa11: Yeah I liked that bit too. We see a little on what Pitch is doing next but what Hans is going to do? May have to wait on that one.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Thanks! Yeah he was. Thankfully, things are better for him in this chapter.**

 **150Songs: Thanks!**

 **JohnTitor: Yeah I do too. She changed her life where it needed to change. You're welcome and thanks!**


	14. Blackmailed

**Chapter 14: Blackmailed**

 _One year later_

"Pens down," said the supervisor at the front of the lecture room.

Elsa put her pen down and turned her paper back over to the front cover and pushed it slightly away from her. She had just finished her final exam of the year. She couldn't believe how fast her year at The University of Burgess as gone. It had seemed like yesterday she had arrived in America but now she was finishing up with her first year.

Her first year in America had been the best year in her life. Sure, she missed her friends and family back home in Arendelle but for the first time in her entire life, she wasn't looking over her shoulder for her father's unforgiving fist. She was actually smiling for once in her life. Her physical scars were finally healing – abet, slowly – but would the mental scars ever heal? The nightmares were slowly getting less frequent but that didn't stop Elsa unable to get sleep most nights. However, things were certainly a lot better at where she was a year ago.

She watched as the supervisor took her exam paper from her. Elsa waited until the supervisor told them all that they could leave which happened only a few moments later. Elsa felt an enormous relief flow through her. She walked down the steps towards the front of the lecture room. She quickly located her bag. She grabbed it and headed out the door.

"Hey Elsa," her friend and classmate, Emma Stevenson, raced up to meet her. Emma was Jamie Bennett's – a really good childhood friend of Jack's – girlfriend. Elsa had met Jamie many times over the course of the year. He and Jack were used to be inseparable until they got different timetables at university. Elsa smiled at Emma. They had been in the same class all year and became really good friends over the duration of the year.

"Hey Em," Elsa replied, her smile still all over her face.

"What did you put down for the case with the company that has a leaky building?" she asked Elsa as they headed out of the Law Building into the sunshine. "I think it was question four."

"The company is liable," Elsa said. "Also the man should sue the company for the leaky building as it wasn't kept in tip-top condition and then the company should sue everyone else as it wasn't like the builder."

"Aw, what?" Emma gave Elsa a horrified look. "I thought the man had to keep the building in repair."

"Nope," Elsa said. "The company signed a contract stating that the building was in tip top shape and it was when the guy rented the building."

"Fuck," Emma swore.

Elsa gave Emma a one hand hug. "It was one question."

"Worth fifteen marks," Emma grimaced. "It was a big short answer question after all."

"It will be fine," Elsa said. "So you get an eighty five out of hundred. That's still pretty good."

"Shut up," Emma gave Elsa a small, playful push while they both laughed.

"Hey guys," Jack and Jamie immediately came out of nowhere. It gave Elsa quite a fright. Jamie gave Emma a small kiss on the lips and a hug. Elsa gave Jack a small smile. Her feelings over the last year for him never went away, in fact, they only strengthened. She never dared tell Jack how she felt. She always thought that it would complicate their friendship. Besides, she knew that Jack would never go for a girl like her. Besides, he had a girlfriend – a girl that Elsa considered to be way above her. Still didn't stop her from getting very jealous. Astrid hadn't stopped sniggering. That had annoyed Elsa to the extent that she would get frustrated whenever she looked at Astrid.

"So, how did it go?" Jamie asked them. Together, they headed off in the direction of the Quad to get some food.

For an answer, Emma groaned in frustration. This just made Jack and Jamie laugh. Emma scowled at them and smacked her boyfriend on the shoulder for laughing. This just made the two boys laugh even harder. They soon entered the Quad and looked around, wondering what they should have to eat.

Elsa soon heard her phone go off. She told Jack to get her a burger and some fries with a coke and gave him some cash to pay for it. Jack gave her two thumbs up to show her that he had heard. Elsa walked away from her friends who were lining up in the line at the burger joint. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Miss Waters' office. Over the past year, Elsa went to see her three times a week. Miss Waters had listened to what Elsa had to say and offered her opinion and advice on how to deal with the trauma of her abuse. So far, it had been working which Elsa had been grateful for.

However the therapy hadn't come cheaply. She had gotten two other jobs – one working at the local book store where everyone bought their textbooks and another one proof reading for the English department. She didn't know how she managed to get the jobs or keep up with her all work but somehow, she did. She often found herself working late until the night trying to finish it all. The therapy didn't leave much left in her bank account but she felt like it was worth it. She needed those sessions. She shuddered to think if she allowed all her pain to continue.

"Hello?" Elsa said when answered her phone.

"Miss Winters," the voice of Miss Waters' receptionist, Susie, said, "how are you today?"

"Good," Elsa said in a cherry voice into the phone. "What can I do for you?"

"I've got some bad news," Susie said. "Miss Waters is out of town for your appointment tomorrow and so therefore can't make it."

"That's unfortunate," Elsa said.

"However, Miss Waters is able to reschedule you to Friday at five o'clock," Julie said. "You want that slot?"

"I sure do," Elsa said. "I'll be there."

"Great," Julie said. "I'm booking you in."

"Thanks," Elsa bade Julie goodbye and then hung up the phone. She headed over to the table where Jack and the others were waiting. Jack waved at Elsa to make sure that she knew where they were. Elsa nodded in their direction and made her way towards them. She took a seat next to Jack which he obviously had saved for her. She looked down at the food Jack had ordered for her. It was exactly what she had wanted. It was like he had read her mind – it wasn't her usual order either. She took a big bite of the burger. She loved the way he knows her. She didn't say anything but watched her friends engage in hate comments about the exams. She smiled. She loved these moments.

* * *

The day after the exams ended, Jack found himself sitting in a coffee shop in Burgess – outside the university. He had caught a train into the city with the intention of meeting his sister for lunch but she had cancelled at the last minute as she was swamped at work. Instead, he was meeting up with his girlfriend, Jules, who he did need to talk to. He sighed as he stared out of the window. He wasn't looking forward into doing what he was about to do but it was time. The sooner he ripped off that band aid the better. He had planned to do this tomorrow but he thought he should do this soon.

Jules soon walked through the door and smiled at Jack who smiled back. Jules placed her order at the counter before taking a seat next to Jack. Jack stared at her but didn't say anything. A waitress came and placed a cup of coffee in front of Jules before the waitress walked away.

Jules sipped at her coffee. "So," she said. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Ah, that," Jack also took a sip of his coffee. How was he going to phase this? It was finally time to tell her the truth. "I think we should –"

"Break up?" Jules supplied.

Jack stared at her, stunned. He honestly didn't expect that to come out of her mouth. Jules simply smiled again.

"I kind of guessed that is what you wanted," Jules shrugged. "We've drifted further and further away over the past year and just didn't want to admit it to each other."

"Yeah," Jack nodded. It had been true. Over the course of the past year, he and Jules had seen each other less and less until it came to the point when it had been weeks when they didn't see each other. It wasn't because they grew sick of each other. It was just because they seemed to have less and less reasons to hang out with each other. Both were busy with work and university which ate up their time.

"Of course," Jules said, her face falling slightly and a serious look was adopted, "however, there is another reason." She paused as Jack looked slightly confused. "Elsa Winters," Jules stated rather clearly.

"Oh," Jack looked a little guilty. It was true that Elsa may be a part of the reason for his decision to break up with Jules. When he met Elsa, a small hint of a crush started to surface. Over the course of the year, it had grown to the point where he thought that he could easily fall in love with this girl.

"I'm not angry Jack," Jules said. "I know you never cheated on me, well physically anyway. You just fell for this girl and fell out of love with me. It happens."

"Sorry," Jack said. "You are an amazing girl but I just don't think this relationship will work out."

Jack couldn't believe that Jules was taking this so well. However, he was aware of a certain someone who had been flirting with Jules for the last several months. Maybe Jules really wanted to end her relationship with Jack to date this guy who Jack didn't know.

"I feel the same," Jules shrugged again as she drained the last dregs of her coffee. "No point trying to fix something that isn't worth fixing." Jules smiled at Jack. "Just don't break her heart. I have an inkling that Elsa is fragile." Jules got to her feet, patted Jack on the shoulder and left the coffee shop.

Jack sat there feeling a little confused on how everything had gone. He had expected Jules to maybe cry but she didn't. She must have been feeling the same as Jack and realised that the relationship was going nowhere. Jack decided he better not question it. He finished up his coffee and left the shop behind him.

"So she took it really well?" his sister Pippa asked him.

They were doing the dishes. Jack had just finished telling Pippa all about his conversation with Jules earlier that day. Jack had gone over to his mother's house for dinner that night to celebrate him finishing exams. Jack's mother had cooked up a storm for the small family of three to eat. It had all been really good. Jack always considered his mother to be an excellent cook.

Even though Jack's family lived in Burgess, the University of Burgess was a while away and so it made more sense for Jack to board rather than have to deal with the one to two hours commute. Besides, Jack needed to get out on his own and live his own life and be independent. His sister, on the other hand, still lived at home. She was sixteen and was currently still at school. However, she was in the middle of her study leave – a period of time where the seniors get time off to study – and that was why she wasn't at school. Her work had also decided to increase her shifts because of this. Pippa was currently struggling with getting all her study and work done.

"Yeah, she did," Jack said as he handed Pippa a plate he just washed.

"I guess she saw it coming and accepted it," Pippa dried off the plate she was given and put it away.

"Maybe," Jack shrugged.

"So when do we get to meet the famous Elsa Winters?" Pippa smirked. Pippa had already guessed, months ago in fact, that Jack had feelings for Elsa. She often teased him about it never mind that Pippa knew that Jack had a girlfriend. For her, it was the way Jack talked about Elsa and the way he lit up whenever she was mentioned. Jack never did this about Jules. That told Pippa that Jack cared more about Elsa.

Jack scowled at his younger sister. "Elsa is busy."

"That's what you always say," Pippa smirked again.

"Shut up," Jack muttered as he started to wash a pot.

* * *

Hans was sitting in his office. His office was rather large and had ceiling to floor glass windows. He sat behind a large desk that had numerous items on it. In front of his desk was a large book case with all kinds of different books on it from books on companies to geography. Hans was currently leaning over his laptop. On it, he was looking at reports for his family's company – Westergaard Industries. His family's company worked in the shipping business and was one of the largest in the world. He sighed as he read the reports. They were just the usual stuff.

He looked out of his window into the corridor beyond it. There were several cubicles outside it that had people answering calls and tapping away at their keyboards. They all seemed too busy to notice what he was up to. He quickly changed what was on the screen from his company's reports to the files of a certain lawyer in Arendelle. He slowly flicked through the names until he saw 'Adgar Winters'. He grinned when he saw it. The lawyer that he was looking at was the Winters' personal lawyer. There were some files that he wanted to look at. He pulled up the file and saw the personal Will of Adgar Winters.

According to the Will, Elsa was Adgar's heir of his company but he also provided quite heavily for Anna for when they came of age – Elsa had to be twenty one and Anna had to be eighteen. Hans folded his fingers together and looked at it. What he had left for Anna – an estate, plenty of money, cars, boats, jewellery – was quite satisfactory for him. It would certainty allow for him to live quite comfortably. However there was one little problem; Elsa. She had been name successor of Adgar's company and his heir. That was a powerful position and he wanted it.

He would never get something like that in his own family. He had twelve brothers to compete with after all. He knew that if he wanted some place of power he would have to marry into another powerful family. The Winters family was a perfect choice. They were wealthy, successful and powerful. They ticked all the boxes. But, then again, there was still the problem that Elsa presented with. She was the heir after all. However, Elsa wasn't in Arendelle. In fact, nobody knew where she was. She could be in Timbuctoo for all they knew. Hans didn't know if this was help or not. Elsa could easily turn up on her twenty first birthday and take what was left for her or she may just remain disappeared for the rest of time. Hans didn't know what would happen if she didn't show up. Would it be Anna that gets the company in the end? Well, if Hans could marry Anna, he could get his hands on a powerful position regardless. Anna's family was already impressed with what he could do. Hans planned to manipulate this in the future.

"What are you doing?" the voice of his brother Mathias could be heard.

Hans looked up and saw his brother by his door. Hans motioned for Mathias to come towards him. Mathias took a look at Hans screen.

"So," Mathias took the mouse and used it to scroll through the Will, "this is what we get right?"

" _We_?" Hans repeated. " _I'm_ the one who's going it after I get Anna's hand in marriage."

"Well I'm sure someone remembers their brotherly love," Mathias gripped Hans' shoulder; a little too tightly. Hans had to stop himself from wincing. That was obviously a hint.

"No, of course not," Hans replied with a fake smile.

Mathias grinned at his brother. "Because surely you will know what will happen if you don't give me what I deserve for helping you."

"Oh don't worry," Hans said, through gritted teeth. "You will."

Mathias grinned once more and left the room. Hans leaned back in his chair and stared at Mathias' retreating back. Mathias had paused at a female co-worker's desk. He did like to flirt with the female staff. They all found it charming. Hans watched his brother get a giggle out of the girl. Was Mathias going to a problem? That is indeed a difficult question. Mathias was more or less blackmailing him. Over the past year, Mathias had helped him get access to all kinds of files – like the Will he was viewing – and helped keep his non-faithful activities out of the public eye and away from Anna. If Anna broke up with him, it would ruin everything – all that they worked for.

By marrying Anna, he would come into a lot of money and Mathias expected to get a portion of that and a decent position in the Winters' Corporation – something in the CFO area perhaps. Mathias was good with numbers. Mathias was in the same boat as he was. They had a lot of older brothers to compete with and there was no way they could get a decent position in the company. Their oldest brother, Viktor, was currently managing the company as their father had retired a few years ago. When their father was in charge, he had place Hans in charge of making sure that the domestic deliveries in The Southern Isles went smoothly. It was a boring and slow job. He had hoped that once Viktor had gotten the top spot, he would get shuffled around into a better job but that never happened. He needed to do something so that he could get what he always wanted.

However that still left the problem of Mathias. What was he going to do about that little problem? If Hans doubled crossed him, Mathias would easily just tell Anna the truth and Hans was sure that he had some kind of evidence. Hans tapped his fingers together and together. Hans knew that without Mathias, Anna may have found out a thing or two by now. At least she was in Switzerland and missed a lot of stuff that went on in The Southern Isles. However, Mathias could hold this over his head until the day he died. Hans needed to get out of this mess. He picked up his phone and dialled a number.

"Falk," he spoke into the phone.

" _Yes sir_?" the man called Falk answered. Falk was Hans' go to guy. He did the dirty jobs that Hans needed to get done.

"I need you to get the evidence we discussed," Hans said. "It needs to be tonight. Anna may be not eighteen yet but Mathias could tell her anytime."

" _Got it sir_ ," Falk hung up the phone.

Hans leaned back in his chair. Things were going to go his way. He could feel it. He let a smile come over his face. The plan was working.

* * *

Anna sighed as she watched the clock tick and tick. She had finished her exam but she couldn't leave. Nobody could leave in the last fifteen minutes and she had just finished just over ten minutes ago. She had already doubled and tripled checked her answers. The answers that she didn't know the answers too, she still didn't know. The answers that she was confident in, she was still confident in. She watched as the supervisor walked by her. She quickly turned around and gave Audrey a wink. Audrey was sitting several rows behind from her and a few seats along to the left. Audrey's hazel eyes followed the supervisor walk past her. When it was safe, Audrey returned Anna's wink.

Anna's eyes turned back to her paper. She started to doodle on her paper that had her exam questions on it. She didn't even notice what she was drawing until she saw a little 'K.B' surrounded in a heart just above where question one was. She stared it at. How did that get there? She furious scribbled over it. She was in love with Hans, not that other kid. He was just a friend after all. A friend who made her feel all good inside, a friend who she could never stop thinking about, a friend who made her heart race faster than a speeding train….just a friend right?

"Pens down everyone," the voice of the supervisor suddenly interrupted her thoughts. "Please wait for everyone's paper to be collected before you leave."

Anna handed her paper to the supervisor when she passed her. Anna heaved a sigh of relief. She was done. She was finished. Holidays were just mere seconds away for her. Anna looked back at Audrey who grinned at her. She was tapping her water bottle against her desk as she waited for the supervisor come for her paper. Anna waited impatiently for the supervisor to let them go. She almost willed for the supervisor to say those magic words.

"Come on, come on, come on," she muttered under her breath as the supervisor walked back to the front of the classroom. "I want to go on holiday. I want to go home and have fun this summer."

"You may go," the supervisor said after she placed the exam papers on the teacher's desk.

Anna grabbed her stuff and headed over to her bag. Her bag was the classic black colour but with a pink stripe down it. Anna stuffed her things into the bag and followed the rest of her classmates out of the room. As soon as they left the room, they burst into conversations. Everyone seemed to enjoy the fact that they had finished for the year and that summer was upon them.

It was a hot, hot day. All Anna wanted to do today was go have a swim in the school pool but she had to study and do an exam. At least she was done and she didn't have to think about studying or exams for a while – well at least until her grades were posted. She didn't think she did too badly overall but you never know.

"Yo, Anna!" Audrey was running up to catch up with her. "How do you think you did?"

"Maths isn't my strongest point," Anna sighed. This is why sometimes she wished she was more like Elsa. Elsa was good with numbers but useless with people, so maybe she was indeed the better off one.

"It's not mine either," Audrey shuddered, "and these grades determine what subjects we can take next year."

"They do," Anna shuddered at that too.

They walked down to the cafeteria. Zoë and Céline hadn't quite come down from their exam yet so they started to eat. They were both starving. Anna basically stuffed her mouth full of the hamburger that she had gotten from the cafeteria.

"Good?" Audrey asked. She hadn't yet taken a bite out of her burger. She had been watching Anna take a ginormous bite out of Anna's burger with raised eyebrows. Anna nodded and made agreement sounds which Audrey laughed at.

"Hey guys," Céline and Zoë had finally shown up, each of them were clutching a tray of food. The two girls took a seat next to their friends. Céline collapsed her head on the table.

"I hate exams," Céline moaned.

"There, there," Anna patted her on the back while Zoë sniggered slightly. "It's all over now."

"Thank god."

Anna and the other girls just smiled at Céline. She was just expressing how all of them feel. Anna went back to her burger and somehow a certain shaggy blonde with an adorable dog came into her mind. Out of the corner of her mind, she could see Zoë sniggering to herself. Anna gave her a look that clearly had a scowl written all over it.

"What?" Anna asked rather angrily.

"Nothing," Zoë said but she still was sniggering, only this time under her breath, which clearly told Anna that she knew something that she didn't.

"What?" Anna asked again but this time, a lot more forcibly.

"You just have that look on your face again," Zoë said.

"I don't have a look," Anna said, desperately trying to make her face as passive as possible.

"Oh yes you do my friend," Zoë responded, pointing at Anna with her fork. "You're thinking about someone aren't you? May it be your handsome boyfriend Hans? Or is it about a certain ice boy back in Arendelle?"

Anna turned bright red. "There is no such ice boy back in Arendelle!"

Anna hated the fact that she knew about Kristoff. For an answer, Zoë took Anna's exam paper out of her bag while Anna spluttered her protests. Zoë flicked through it until she came to what she wanted. She grinned very widely before showing the other three girls what Anna had written. Anna sank low in her seat, desperately hoping that she would turn invisible. Her friends loved to tease her about her – probably Anna was so easy to tease. She always gave them a good reaction which always made them laugh.

"Fine," Anna finally said after several long seconds. "There…. may…. be… an…. ice… guy…back….. in…. Arendelle." She really drew out the words as she spoke. Her face reddened with each passing word. This only made Zoë snigger even harder. This earned a scowl from Anna.

"Okay, guys, all jokes aside," Audrey said.

"All jokes aside?" Zoë said. "I didn't agree to this!"

Audrey gave her friend a look before she continued. "Anna, what about Hans? I thought you were crazy in love with this guy."

Anna took a deep breath, "I _thought_ I was. But would I be if I was having feelings for someone else?"

"Well not always," Céline said. "My dad fell in love with his second wife while he was still married to my mum but that didn't mean he loved my mother any less."

"Your father had an affair," Anna said. "I have this teeny tiny crush on another guy."

"True," Céline said. "Dad had a three year affair, divorced my mother and now I have a step-mum, two half-brothers and a step-sister."

"So what are you going to do?" Audrey asked Anna.

"What do you guys think?" Anna said. "Hans is a great guy, he treats me a princess but Kristoff is so sweet and we always have a good time together."

"What do you feel around Hans compared to Kristoff?" Audrey said. "Like who makes your heart race faster? Who can't you stop thinking about? Who do you look forward to see? Who makes you feel special?"

Anna bowed her head. She thought hard about what Audrey had said to her. On one hand, she had Hans; a great guy who definitely makes her feel like she's on cloud nine and the man who she believed she was in love in. However, on the other hand, she had Kristoff – the guy who makes her heart race faster than the space shuttle, the guy who can always make her laugh, who can always make her smile even when she had the most frustrating and annoying day. Anna sighed. She guessed she had her answer.

"You feel better now?" Audrey said.

"Yeah," Anna sighed again.

"Know who you want to choose?"

"Yeah," Anna said. "Did this work for you?"

"I'm not dating anyone," Audrey quickly said, sounding very defensive, while sideways glancing at Céline. Anna and Zoë exchanged looks while Audrey and Céline were looking the other way. They didn't say anything but just ate their food.

* * *

Falk quickly unlocked the window he was hovering outside. It was a cloudy night which covered the moon and thus there was no light from it. It gave him some cover. He was currently at Mathias Westergaard's apartment in The Southern Isles. He figured that whatever Mathias was hiding, he would find it here. Sure, Mathias had a couple of other places but this was his base of operations. It was bound to be here. If it wasn't, Falk would probably have to go back to the drawing board.

A small click was then heard and Falk pulled the window open using his black gloved hands. He threw his black duffle bag through the window before Falk climbed through it and closed it behind him. Falk had already disabled the alarm from the outside. It wasn't that hard to hack into Mathias' security system and disabling the alarm system. When Falk turned around, he found himself in Mathias' master bedroom. Falk treaded on a bra and some panties when he started to walk towards the door. Guess Mathias had some female company over quite recently. Thankfully, that female company and Mathias wasn't in the apartment. According to his research, Mathias – and presumably whatever female was in his bed recently – was at his parents' house for the weekend. His boss, Hans, was also there. Hans was making sure that Mathias didn't catch wind of their little plan that was underway.

Falk left the bedroom and continued down the hallway. He was looking for Mathias' study. There was a certain safe in there he wanted to check out. Rumour was that Mathias liked to keep all his personal and private stuff in there. However, finding it wasn't easy. Hans hadn't exactly been able to disclose the location or the combination to the safe. Although, that didn't mean that Falk was going to give up. Falk was good at his job. This wasn't going to be difficult for him – just annoying.

He entered the study – surprisingly, it was unlocked. The study was a large room with a desk in the middle. A large bookcase and a painting were behind the desk. This was starting to look like some cheesy movie. Falk tried to open the painting. It wouldn't budge. He even took the painting off. It revealed nothing. He then tried the bookcase. It too didn't reveal any secret safe. Falk actually felt disappointed. He actually thought that this was going to be like the movies. He sighed. Guess it was time to enter the real world. He sat at the desk and drummed his fingers against the oak wood. He started to look through the drawers. There was nothing of interest to him. Apart from some bills, some bank account details and some other miscellaneous documents, there was nothing there. Hmm, Falk thought, where could that evidence be hiding? He thought that maybe Mathias' computer could be of some interest. Falk opened it and started to hack it. He found what he expected to find; work that he had brought home, photos from trips and a lot of miscellaneous stuff that wasn't at all suspicious. He sighed. So much for hacking his computer.

Falk continued to search around the study and found nothing. He started to search other rooms; the bedroom, Mathias' library, his kitchen, the lounge, his man cave room. There was nothing here. That was his conclusion. Normally, he would probably leave around now – Mathias had a housekeeper who could show up at any time if he didn't keep an eye on the time – but Hans was paying him big bucks to deliver him the goods and Falk wasn't going to get paid the full amount unless he did the job he was hired to do. Falk re-entered the study. He didn't know what else he could find in here but it wouldn't hurt to do another search. Falk checked his watch. He knew that the housekeeper's shift started at six and it was four thirty in the morning. So he had about an hour or an hour and a half before he had to get moving. So he quickly got back to searching. He ended up drifting from Mathias' study and his bedroom. He was sure that one of the rooms had the secret he wanted. Those were Mathias private rooms. The kind of evidence that they were dealing with would be something that Mathias would want to keep close which is why Falk thought that it would be in one of those two rooms.

Falk sighed as he leaned against the blank space behind the painting. He had just examined it in case there was any evidence that there was something behind it. He looked at his watch. It was five-fifteen am. Unless he had some kind of brain blast in the next ten minutes, he had to leave before Mathias' housekeeper showed up. He whacked his head against the wall several times. Think, he told himself over and over again. He then did a particularly hard whack against the wall. He stopped. There was something about the whack. He placed his ear against the wall and tapped. It sounded hollow. There was something behind it. He quickly examined the wall. He managed to find hinges. He pulled on the other side and the wall swung open. It revealed a medium sized opening with a safe built it. Guess Mathias did do the cheesy movie thing and hide a safe behind the wall.

Falk searched the contents of what was behind the wall. There were just some important looking documents. There wasn't anything there that was of interest to him. There were things like documents Mathias needed for pending court cases – Falk knew that some company was suing him for something and Falk didn't know all of the details – and documents for the Westergaard's company. Nothing that spoke of blackmail. Falk decided that he should check the safe.

Falk paused at the safe. He didn't know the combination but that wasn't a problem. He pulled out his stethoscope and placed the end piece against the safe while putting in the ear pieces into his ears. He carefully twisted the dial while listening very closely to the sounds the tumblers were making. Whenever he heard a click, he knew he got the right number. The safe opened after about half an hour of careful and deliberate hard work. When he opened the safe he found things that bank details, Mathias' passport, his Will and what Falk was looking for; a small USB stick. There had to be something very important on it for it to be in the safe. He grinned when he found it. He quickly pulled out his laptop – his tiny one which he used to transport around – and inserted it into his laptop. He pulled up a file that was labelled HWE. Falk theorised that stood for Hans Westergaard Evidence. When he opened up the file, he knew why Hans wanted it. There were nothing but photos and a couple of videos that showed Hans cheating with a different girl each time.

Falk knew that Hans had a girlfriend who was wealthy and came from a successful family. Hans wasn't exactly the favourite of his brother who was in charge of his family's company. Since his girlfriend came from a very successful company, Hans probably thought that she could get him a decent position there. It also didn't hurt that her large figure bank account would also be a sweet part of the package. If she discovered that he was being unfaithful, she would ditch him faster than a speeding bullet leaving a gun. Hans would not want that. Falk grinned as he put the USB stick into his pocket and tidied everything away so that the housekeeper wouldn't find anything out of place and get suspicious. Speaking of the housekeeper, she should be here any moment now and Falk needed to get out before the cops were called.

Falk quickly gathered up his stuff and headed back into the bedroom where he had come in. He quickly ducked out of the open window and closed it before he left. He quickly dashed over to his car – a black Mercedes – and threw his stuff into the back before getting in behind the wheel. The sun was starting to rise now. He should get out of here before someone noticed a strange car parked on the street. He pulled out his phone and dialled Hans' number. It rang only once before Hans answered.

" _This better be good Falk_ ," Hans did not sound like he enjoyed being woken up at six-thirty in the morning but Falk knew that Hans would want the good news as soon as possible.

"I have the evidence that you want," Falk responded as he turned the USB stick over in his free hand. His eyes saw a car park in the driveway and a woman got out. From this distance, he couldn't make out much – just that she was a woman in dark hair, professionally dressed and carrying a large black shoulder bag. Falk knew that this must be the housekeeper. She was bang on time.

" _Excellent_ ," Hans' voice suddenly changed. He sounded a lot happier now.

"I can have it at your place in an hour," Falk said.

" _Good, bring it here_ ," Hans said before he promptly hung up on him.

Falk put his phone away and drummed his fingers against his steering wheel. He watched the housekeeper gather her supplies out of her car, lock the car and walk up to the door before letting herself in. It had been a little too close for comfort. He had only just got the evidence in time. Thankfully, he didn't have to make a second trip here. Falk started up his car and drove away. Nobody saw him leave.

* * *

Hans drummed his fingers against his dining room table while sipping a glass of white wine. A little USB could be felt in the pocket of his pants. He was in his apartment and was enjoying the moment he was in. It was time for the shoe to be on the other foot. Mathias no longer had the upper hand. This time, it was Hans who did. Hans checked his watch. It showed him that it was a quarter past seven. He had expected Mathias to show up at seven. He was late. Hans hated it when people were late. It showed disrespect in his opinion.

He heard the door open and some footsteps in the hall followed by his brother's voice calling out his name. Hans replied by calling out his location. Soon his older brother came into view. Mathias smiled at Hans as he walked in and placed his hands on one of the dining room table. Hans just stared at him, resisting the urge to grin maliciously. He had to be very careful on how he was going to handle this. He wanted to milk this for all it was worth.

"Hello Mathias," Hans said, simply.

"Hans, you look strange," Mathias replied. Mathias had folded his arms and stared at his younger brothers.

"Maybe because I have this," Hans pulled out the USB stick and showed it to his brother. Mathias' face fell as he recognised what was in Hans' hand. Guess they were just going to dive right into.

"Where did you get that?" he said as he tried to control his anger.

"I think you know," Hans smiled wildly.

Mathias made a wild snatch for the USB stick but Hans reacted faster. He had seen it coming. He quickly pulled his hand backwards and Mathias, who was impeded by the table, couldn't reach it.

"Give that back," he snarled.

"I think I won't," Hans put the USB stick on the ground and smashed it with his boot. Mathias couldn't believe what he was seeing. Well, Hans would feel the same way if his plans were self-destructing before his very eyes. "I think that's what you call checkmate."

"This isn't over Hans," Mathias said.

"I believe it is," Hans smile got wilder. "This is all the evidence you have on me and all those girls. Even if you told Anna the truth, there would be no way she would believe you over me. I mean who would believe you, a jealous, egotistical and hateful brother, over her kind, caring and loveable boyfriend? Don't worry, when I take over Winters' Corporation, I'll make sure that you have a nice job. Maybe like a mail delivery person." Hans let out a laugh.

"You little bastard," Mathias growled.

"Right back at you big brother," Hans toasted him with his wine.

* * *

"I'm home!" Anna shouted into the hallway of her aunt and uncle's house.

"Hello dear," her uncle said as he walked towards her. He gave her a small peck on her cheek and Anna did the same to him. It felt good to be home for the holidays. She was looking forward to her summer holidays. She didn't have to do anything but put her feet up and relax. No more studying either which was the main thing for Anna.

"Astrid is in the pool if you want to join her," Uncle Klaus said.

"Hmm, I think I just might," Anna said with a gleeful smile on her face. A swim in their pool sounded quite the thing after a tiring flight. Anna had to get up at six am just to make her flight. She just wanted to kick off her shoes, put her feet up and relax. "Just let me go put this up in my room." She gestured towards her bags.

"Of course," her uncle said, smiling.

Anna quickly headed upstairs while carrying her luggage. Once inside her room, she collapsed onto her bed. It finally had sunk in. She had a whole summer of freedom ahead of her. No more work or studying. She just had three months of fun and laughter to experience. Anna didn't bother to unpack her stuff. They would be slowly unpacked over the course of the holidays unless Aunt Greta gets too tired of it and does it for her which usually happened. Anna grabbed her swimsuit and quickly changed in her ensuite bathroom.

At the pool, she found her family smiling and waving. She had a feeling that it was going to be a good summer.

A couple of days later, Anna was walking down the main streets of Arendelle. In her hand was a coffee from Starbucks. She had needed the caffeine rush. She sipped it as she walked down and looked into the store windows. She stopped by some clothing stores and peered at the latest fashions. She did need a new summer wardrobe. She peered at the outfit that one of the manikins was wearing. It did look kind of cute. She sipped her coffee as she examined it. However, it was the wrong colour. That shade of orange just doesn't go well with her skin tone. Anna sighed and moved on. Maybe in the next shop she would have better luck.

"Anna!" Anna turned around and saw some guy waving at her and racing towards her. She paused as she looked at him. He looked familiar however his name was just not coming to her.

"Anna," the man smiled at her, "judging by that blank space you don't recognise me. It's me Mathias, Hans' older brother."

"Oh," Anna suddenly remembered how she knew Mathias. They had all met at the Westergaard Christmas party last year. Hans had brought her along and she had gotten to meet all of his twelve brothers. Thankfully she had already met a couple of them – like Mikael and Erik – so it wasn't like a room of complete strangers. It had been a bit overwhelming meeting the entirety of Hans' family. She had really wanted to give a good impression as she wanted them to like her. Hans had told her that they had liked her which had made Anna smile.

"Excellent," Mathias said. "I've unlocked a memory in your brain."

"Yeah you have," Anna laughed as they continued up the street together.

"So what have you been up to?" Mathias asked.

"Oh just browsing the shops," Anna shrugged.

"Anything interesting?"

"Not really," Anna shrugged again. "I kind of want Uncle Klaus and Aunt Greta to take me to Paris for some shopping but that's a pipe dream."

Mathias let out a small laugh. "Well, I know that Hans has some business in Paris in August. Why not make it one big trip?"

"Oh that is a cool idea!" Anna thought that Mathias was making a lot of sense. If she could convince her aunt and uncle about this double trip to Paris is a good idea, she could be on a flight this time next month.

"Why not we go and talk to Hans about this?" Mathias said. "He's in Arendelle this week sorting out some loose ends for our brother and head of the company, Viktor."

"Another good idea," Anna said. "I didn't know he was in town."

"He probably didn't want to bother you since he probably doesn't have a lot of time on his hands."

"Aw, that's it," Anna sighed lovely. "He probably didn't want me to get my hopes up."

"Well his apartment is just around the corner, why don't we go and say hello and see what he thinks about this Paris trip?"

Anna could have practically run to Hans' apartment but she wanted to appear cool for Mathias. Mathias could be, one day, her future brother-in-law. She didn't want to appear too crazy too soon. That was going to be revealed when it is too late for him to do anything about it. Anna chuckled about this to herself. Together, Mathias and Anna made their way up the high street and turned onto Hans' street.

Anna was excited to learn that Hans was back in Arendelle. He didn't often come into Arendelle much as work kept him away which Anna was never happy about. She couldn't wait to see the surprised expression on his face when he sees her standing at his door. Anna was just a few paces behind Mathias when they came upon Hans' apartment building. The door manager, recognising Mathias, opened the door for them and tipped his hat to them while he greeted them.

The elevator doors opened for them and they stepped inside. They went up a number of floors before the elevator opened onto Hans' floor. They walked along the corridor until they came to Hans' door. Anna held up her fist to knock onto Hans' door but Mathias simply opened the door with his key. Anna looked at him, shocked.

"He's expecting me," Mathias shrugged.

Anna still thought it was a little rude. You don't barge into someone's home like this but she decided to let it go and go with the flow. Maybe Mathias did this kind of stuff all the time. Maybe Hans really didn't mind it.

"Hans?" Anna said into the empty apartment. She thought it was a little strange that she couldn't see or hear Hans anywhere. Maybe Mathias was wrong and that Hans was out.

"Check the bedroom," Mathias said. "He's probably in there."

Anna kept thinking that this was rude. She should've knocked and if there was no answer, then perhaps call Hans. Mathias seemed not to have a held respect for manners. Anna had just had the thought of leaving when Mathias took off down the corridor towards Hans' bedroom.

"Mathias," Anna whispered, sharply. What was Hans going to say when he had discovered that the pair of them had barged into his home and then into his bedroom? She shuddered to think. Mathias pushed open the bedroom door and Anna gasped with shock at the scene that lay beyond her.

Hans was lying – naked – on top of some other girl with his lips firmly planted on her neck. Hans looked up when the door was opened. His face froze solid when he saw who was standing in his bedroom door frame. He quickly pulled his bedroom sheets over himself in his hurry to get off the girl. Anna felt tears come to her eyes as she all this happened. Anna's heart had shattered as she saw what Hans had been doing. She rushed out of the apartment while Hans stumbled in his way to follow her.

"Anna!" Hans yelled after her but she ignored him. Tears continued to stream down her face as she ran out of the apartment. "Anna!"

Anna rushed into the elevator and paused to catch her breath as the elevator doors shut. She was glad that there was no one else in the elevator with her or that Hans or Mathias had followed her out of the apartment. She wiped her tears and looked at herself in her compact mirror. She was a mess but she didn't care. Hans had just been caught cheating – a thing that she thought he would never do. Hans had given the impression that he was a good guy; nice and kind. The key word was 'impression'. He had ended up being everything that the media had said about him; that he was a player, reckless, unfaithful and that he broke women's hearts wherever he went.

Guess her father and sister were right all along.

Anna shuddered at that thought. Elsa had told her what was to be expected from dating Hans. She had told her he had been a player. At the time, she thought that Elsa had being her usual frustrating self but now, looking at it from the other side, maybe Elsa had just being a big sister to her and just looking out for her. How could she have not seen this coming? How did she not realise that she was being blinded to the truth?

Well in her defence, Hans was a charmer. He was charismatic. He could manipulate women and charm them into believing his words. Anna could have slammed her fist against the mirror walls in the elevator in her anger. She was just so frustrated at what was going on in her life. Everything was just tumbling down around her. The walls of her life were crumbling down.

The elevator doors pinged and opened. Anna quickly walked out of the lobby with her head down so that people didn't see that she had been crying quite badly. Once outside, she hailed a taxi and gave the driver her house address. She just wanted to go home as soon as possible. The driver seemed to give her a sympathetic look as if he knew that she had been crying. Anna got home only a short while later. She tore into her room and threw herself onto her bed, still crying and feeling very hurt at Hans' betrayal. Her father and sister both had warned her about Hans. Why the fuck didn't she listen to them? Why did she have to believe that Hans was a good guy?

Anna just slowly sobbed onto her pillow – staining it with her tears as she did. She felt like such a fool for not seeing this coming. She had honestly believed him when he had said that all the stuff written about him was lies. It was such a stab in the back. The knife was imbedded very deeply into it and it felt like the look of pure shock and surprise that Hans had given her had twisted it.

"Anna?" the voice of her cousin, Astrid Winters, came with the sound of her gently knocking.

Anna sat up as her cousin walked into her room and sat on her bed. Astrid must have heard her crying. "You okay?" she gently asked. "I heard you crying."

"It's….it's…..it's…." Anna tried to say through her sobs. She just couldn't get the words out. To admit it was a lot harder than she thought. "Hans!" she finally got out her mouth.

"What about him?" a darken look crossed Astrid's face only a moment after she had asked her question. She scowled for a little bit. It seemed like she had figured out what was making Anna cry. "Did that fucking bastard cheat on you?"

"Yes!" Anna cried even hard.

"That fucking no good evil bastard," Astrid said. "What a slut."

"Yeah," Anna wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Anna, a man who cheats isn't the kind of guy you should get involved with," Astrid said. "Believe me, I know." Astrid scowled again. Her own boyfriend of a year had cheated on her with multiple girls when she was seventeen. Astrid hadn't been too impressed. She had cried and cried over that until she realised that he wasn't worth the tears. She had dumped his sorry arse when he came crawling back to her when he dumped the girls he had cheated on her with. "Hans doesn't deserve your love Anna. If he is willing to throw it around like this then he is a no good rotten bastard."

"True!" Anna knew that Astrid was saying the truth. If Hans didn't care about their relationship then why should she? However it didn't matter what Astrid said. It didn't matter that Astrid was making complete sense. It didn't matter than Hans was a bastard. All that mattered was that Anna's heart had been shattered. She had put her trust and love in a man who turned out to be nothing but scum.

"You okay?" Astrid noticed Anna's crestfallen face.

"I just want to sit here and cry," Anna replied.

"Okay," Astrid said, gently. "Go ahead and do that."

Anna's eyes swelled up again and tears poured from her face. Astrid gave her a hug while Anna rested her head on Astrid's shoulder. There was a knock on the door and Astrid's mother – Anna's Aunt Greta – walked into the room. She spotted the scene before her and her face instantly looked concerned.

"Everyone okay?" she asked, her face shifting from her daughter to her niece.

"Yeah," Astrid told her mother. "Anna's just having a rough time today."

"School, friends, family or boyfriend?" Aunt Greta asked.

"Boyfriend," Anna and Astrid said in unison.

"Ah," Aunt Greta said. "I'll go get the ice cream."

"Thanks mum," Astrid smiled. She looked at Anna. "Yeah, we will need some."

Aunt Greta smiled and then walked out of the room. She came back with a small tub of ice cream and three spoons. She sat down and all of them ate some ice cream.

"So what happened with Hans?" Aunt Greta asked.

"Bastard cheated on Anna," Astrid said. She then quickly looked a little stricken at her use of language in front of her mother but her mother didn't seem to care.

"Well it's his loss," Aunt Greta said. "If he wants to cheat on a beautiful, intelligent, smart and sophisticated woman then he obviously has no taste."

"No taste at all," Astrid nodded, agreeing with her mother.

"Thanks guys," Anna said after eating a scoop of ice cream, "for all the comfort."

"You're welcome," the other two Winters said together with big smiles on their faces.

That night Anna lay on her bed and stared up at her ceiling. She was all cried out – her pillow was stained with her tears. How could Hans do this to her? Anna kept asking that question over and over again in her mind. She thought that they would good but it turned out he was just some spineless bastard who was probably only interested in her because of her name and money. Her father did warn her about those kinds of guys and the kind of guy Hans was. Ugh, why didn't she listen to her father when she had the chance? It would have saved her from all this hurt she was feeling now.

However, she didn't think she was angry at her relationship being over. Truth be told, she was going to break up with Hans anyway. Her friends had made her see that she wasn't really in love with Hans – she had only thought she was. Her feelings towards another guy were making themselves known to her. So she wasn't made at the end of her relationship, she was mad at being betrayed like this. She just wished she hadn't gone with Mathias but in fact, simply texted Hans the next day to meet up and tell him then. Well, she thought as she punched her pillow into shape, at least she knew the kind of guy Hans really was which she supposed was a good thing. That way she was no longer blinded to it all. She now knew why Hans didn't tell her why he was in Arendelle; so that he could hang out with his fucking mistress.

Anna turned on her side to face her walk in wardrobe. Well it was like her aunt and cousin said; it was Hans' lost. The last thing that Anna thought before she finally drifted off to sleep was the satisfaction that Hans must be feeling like a total idiot for messing up whatever plan he had been trying to achieve – whether it was getting Anna's money or other parts of her inheritance – had no chance of working.

As she dreamed, a certain blonde boy who liked to work with ice kept popping in and out of her dream. Anna's face, while she slept, smiled.

* * *

Elsa was running back to her dorm. She was running a little late for her psychologist appointment. She had stayed back after class to talk to her law lecturer about the lecture and they had just kept talking and talking. Elsa hadn't even realised how much time had gone by until her eyes had caught site of the clock on the wall. She had given her law lecturer a quick goodbye before running off.

Elsa quickly dropped off her bag and books at the dorm before throwing on a jacket and grabbing her purse which she swung over her shoulder. Elsa looked at the clock. She didn't have a lot of time but she figured if she hurried, she could make it. Elsa passed Honey and her other roommates plus her other friends on her way out.

"Elsa, it's movie night," Gogo said to her.

"Sorry, got to skip," Elsa said. Elsa hadn't exactly been forthcoming about her therapy. It would be hard for her to explain away. None of her friends know anything about her past history. Elsa had pretty much had to make it up as she went along. She had pretended that she came from a good family but that didn't stop them wondering why Elsa didn't stay in contact with her sister – the remaining member of her non-extended family. Elsa just quickly changed the subject which just added to the suspiciousness that her friends possessed.

"Where are you going at this time of night?" Honey asked.

"You're going to miss The Sound of Music!" Tooth said.

"As much as that pains me," Elsa had seen that movie at least a dozen times. She liked it but she was prepared to give it a miss next time. She wasn't missing anything. It was in Tooth's top three movies. They were bound to watch it again on the next movie night they have. "I have to go to a study group tonight." Study group was usually Elsa's go to response. Her friends didn't really know her law friends that well. Well except for Emma.

"Is Emma going to be there?" Honey asked her.

"No she's coming tonight," Jamie said, answering the question instead of Elsa.

"Wrong class anyway," Elsa checked her watch. "It's my other law class. Sorry, got to go."

Elsa raced out of the dorm before they could question her story any further. It didn't take Elsa too long to get to her therapist's – Miss Waters – office. Miss Water's receptionist smiled at her as she walked through the door.

"Sorry I'm late," Elsa said, looking a little guilty.

"Don't worry," Julie said, smiling at Elsa. "You're not late. Miss Waters is still in with her previous patient."

"Thanks," Elsa smiled back and sat down at one of the available seats. The office was empty apart from Julie who was at her desk, tapping away at her computer. There was a small coffee table next to her seat with some magazines on it. Elsa picked up one and flicked through it. It was the usual trashy stories in it but there were some good stories in there as well. Elsa heard Miss Water's door open but she didn't look up. Miss Waters seemed to be still talking to her patient.

"Thank you Miss Waters," the voice of the patient was very familiar. Elsa paused as she stared at a story about Jennifer Lawrence. Why did she know that voice? Where had she heard it before? Elsa looked up as the other person approached her. Elsa got a massive shock when she saw who it was she was looking at.

"Elsa?"

"Jack?" Elsa replied.

The voice belonged to Jack Frost.

 **A/N: Okay first off, happy Easter everyone. I hope that everyone had a great one. Secondly, sorry been totally AWOL. Uni work has been a pain and taking up all my time so that's why this has taken a long time to work on. I don't know how often I can update but I do try and update as soon as I can. Sorry it's been taking so long to do. Now onto the chapter, so Hans is revealed to be a cheater which leads to his break up with Anna (also got some Kristanna in there) and Elsa and Jack find out that they both see the same therapist. I know this chapter is a time jump chapter but it's time to get this story rolling. What's going to happen next? Also I finally put in Jamie Bennett - about time he showed up. Also Jack's sister has appeared - his mother is not that far behind. This chapter did end of a cliff-hanger. So what do you guys all think is going to happen between Jack and Elsa. Will they reveal their past to each other or will neither or one reveal? Who knows what will happen? Also, we still have to see what Pitch and Vincent Frost are up to. More on them in the future. Final note; the law stuff in the chapter was provided by my brother, the law graduate so credit to him.**

 **Hope everyone enjoyed this update. Please review =)**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Anonymous: Hmm, I can see where that is coming from. I hope the same thing as you.**

 **AFallenAngel1221: Thanks so much.**

 **JackElsaforev: Yeah he was. Plot twist. Sorry, didn't quite get the rest of that review. Sorry.**

 **Layla MT: Sorry but I don't speak or read Spanish. Maybe you could repeat it in English if possible?**

 **Phoenix: Yeah it is actually. It's cool.**

 **Reallifewinterwoman: Yay! Oh on that, you may just have to wait and see. Ah on your story, I prefer to read stories that are consistent with the source material and since you have Jack and Anna as brother and sister and Jack as the king, kind of puts me off sorry. I wish you all the luck with that story. Your English is pretty good.**

 **Little Timothy: Thanks so much.**

 **Guest: Thanks so much.**

 **MixyBell: Ah sorry about that.**

 **Guest: They probably will.**

 **Acceptable Gentleman: Thanks so much. It will be interesting to see that. Hopefully you enjoy the way I do it.**

 **Guest: Thanks. I hope it is!**

 **heartfulyumi: Yeah they both were. The past is indeed going to come for Jack.**

 **AnthroDragon: They only record phone calls. The meeting was done privately. What were the other bullet holes?**

 **sanaa11: Yes he was. More on that in future chapters.**

 **150Songs: Thanks so much! I hope it stays on your favourite list.**

 **Silent reader: Thanks! I do try and update ASAP even though it takes me ages to.**

 **NIresda123: Yeah Elsa needs therapy for what she's been through. So am I actually. Well real life and stories do blend. Thanks.**


	15. Grains of Truth

**Chapter 15: Grains of Truth**

Elsa stared at Jack and Jack stared back at Elsa. Elsa's mouth opened from shock. What was Jack doing here of all places? Was he also in therapy? If so, what for? She hoped it wasn't anything horrible like why she was in therapy. Maybe he was just in here to deal with stress with university or something like that. Potentially, he could just know Miss Waters. She could be like a family friend that had never come up. Well that would be a better reason for Jack's presence than the alternative. Jack's face was mimicking Elsa's and he too seemed like he was running through the same thoughts that Elsa was going through? Miss Waters watched the scene with intrigue.

"Elsa," Miss Waters said, gently, "it's time for you appointment."

Elsa placed her magazine back down on the pile and got to her feet. She followed Miss Waters into her room. Miss Waters sat down behind her computer while Elsa sat down at her usual seat. Her brain was still buzzing from seeing Jack.

"So Elsa, should we continue where we left off from last time?" Miss Waters asked as she took out Elsa's file with a pen and some paper to take notes.

Elsa paused. She quickly hurried to think where they had left off last time while simultaneously trying to push Jack out of her mind.

"Yeah, okay," Elsa said after a few seconds of silence.

"Great," Miss Waters beamed at her. "Let's talk more about Anna, shall we?"

Can we not? Elsa thought but she didn't say that out loud. Talking about Anna wasn't exactly her favourite thing to do but she knew in order to get better, she had to explore these topics. Elsa gulped and nodded. Maybe Miss Waters knew that talking about her sister was not an easy thing to do and that's why she wanted to do it.

"So," Miss Waters drew out the word, "when was the last time you spoke to your sister?"

"Last year, just after my father's trial," Elsa said. She got an image of that fateful encounter she had with her sister. She shuddered at the memory of that. The cycle of abuse had come out in that one moment. She never wanted that again.

"Ah yes," Miss Waters nodded. "So that was the moment when you lost control?"

"Yes," Elsa said. She had been completely honest with her about everything that had happened to her. Elsa knew that therapy wouldn't work unless she was. She had briefly discussed the incident with Anna to her. Elsa had a feeling that Miss Waters knew that there was more to that story and decided to focus on that. They hadn't discussed Anna a lot due to Elsa's hesitance on that subject. They had mostly focused on getting past the PTSD that had been formed but now Elsa knew that avoiding conferring about her sister now was over.

"So what happened?" Miss Waters asked. Elsa sighed. Miss Waters knew a small portion of what had happened due to Elsa accidently letting it slip. Elsa had regretted that very much. Miss Waters kept hinting at ways to reopen that discussion but Elsa had told her that she didn't want to keep talking about it till she felt ready. Maybe Miss Waters felt like Elsa was finally ready. Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn't. Elsa didn't really know. All that she knew is that she had to work through the event and any triggers in case something like that didn't happen again.

Elsa knew the reason for why she beat up her sister. Something inside of her clicked and a monster escaped from within her. She never wanted that beast to appear again. It had appeared when Elsa grew very angry. Over the course of the year, Elsa did grow angry at people but she did her best not to be too angry. She didn't want her father taking over her again.

"Uh –" Elsa paused for words. She didn't really know how to continue.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Miss Waters said. "I know how hard this topic is but I think once you talk about it, you will feel so much better."

Miss Waters did have a point. Elsa breathed in quite deeply. She guessed it was finally time for the truth to be laid down on the table.

"In your own time Elsa," Miss Waters said gently. "So your father's murder trial had ended, correct?"

"Yes," Elsa nodded. They had talked about the murder of her father but never in great detail. Elsa didn't particularly like talk about it as it was a dark stain in her memory. "Anna was mad at me because she believed that I had murdered our father to take him away from her."

"Why did she think that?" Miss Waters asked.

"Because she thinks that I hate her and that I go out of my way to ruin her life," Elsa said, her voice getting smaller and smaller with each word.

"I feel as if there is more to that story," Miss Water said to Elsa. "Let's go back to the beginning, before your mother died. How was your relationship with your sister?"

"Good," Elsa said. She remembered fondly the memories she had with her sister; all the times that they played together, built snowmen together, skied etc..

"Then your mother died," Miss Waters said.

"Yes," the memories of the incident were never far from Elsa's mind. That was the day everything had changed for her. "Anna and I drifted apart over the years from then on."

"Because you wanted to hide the fact you were abused?"

"Yes," Elsa said, simply. "I didn't want Anna to know the truth. She idolised our father and I didn't want her world upside down."

"You never thought of telling anyone?" Miss Waters had posed the same question before but Elsa had struggled to answer it.

"No," Elsa said. She didn't know why never said anything. Her grandmother, Ingrid Winters, would have gone nuts if she knew the truth. Her grandmother often asked why Elsa was skinny and looked pale. Her father always said that's how Elsa was and laughed it off. Elsa wondered if Ingrid ever suspected anything. "I guess when I was younger I was afraid of what my father would do if I said anything."

"Victims of abuse often blame themselves," Miss Waters said. "They think that they did something to occur the wrath of the abuser."

"I did often think that," Elsa admitted. When she was little, she always felt like it was her fault that her father hit her, burned her and whipped her. When she got older, she developed a sort of Stockholm Syndrome. It became almost normal for her to be abused but that didn't stop her from wanting out and knowing it was wrong but there was always something holding her back from telling anyone.

"So let's continue on Anna," Miss Waters said. "We've already discussed most of your relationship with your sister but we always seem to skip over a particular event – the murder of your father and the aftermath of that."

"Oh that," Elsa gulped. She was a little nervous of this story. She decided to tell the truth. She told Miss Waters everything – from the vicious attack to the shooting of her father. Miss Waters didn't seem to be shocked – or rather she was good at disguising her emotions so that she wouldn't shock the patient. However, Miss Waters agreed that the situation was self-defence. Elsa went on to talk about what happened after that – Anna's accusations and the attack. When it got to the last bit, Elsa's voice got stuck in her throat. The fact that she had to admit that she hurt her sister wasn't something that Elsa wanted to admit. Miss Waters gave Elsa a friendly smile and told her that it wasn't uncommon for abuse victims to abuse others as it's the way they've been taught. Elsa didn't know whether to be relieved by this information or not.

Elsa walked out of the session half an hour later feeling a little confused. However, that wasn't the only thing that was on her mind. Jack had come back. What was she going to say to him?

* * *

Jack was lying on her bed – thinking. Elsa was the last person she expected to appear at Miss Waters' office. Why had she been there? Had she been there for a session or did she know Miss Waters personally? Well, there are lots of reasons for someone to require counselling. But the fact that Miss Waters is an expert in traumas didn't seem help anything.

Jack sighed and stared up at the ceiling. He just hoped that she wasn't there for the same reason he was. His history with his father wasn't something that people knew about. Sure, Jamie Bennett knew but that was only because he was there when it was all going down. Bunnymund knew that Jack didn't have the best relationship with his father and that his father had been a drunk, abusive and a drug addict. However, he didn't know the half of it. Jack didn't like to discuss it but maybe it was time especially as it seems to him that Elsa may have gone through something similar.

"Jacky!" Bunnymund was banging on his door. "We're all going out to celebrate the end of the year with drinks! We're going to the new bar on Symond Street. Wanna join?"

Jack considered it. It did sound fun. Hanging out with his friends is one of his favourite things to do but he just wasn't feeling it. He had too much preying on his mind. Besides, he wasn't in the mood.

"No thanks," Jack called out. "You guys go on without me."

The door then opened and Bunnymund walked in. He looked at Jack with a concerned expression.

"You okay mate?" he asked. "You never turn down a chance to go out and party."

"Guess I'm still quite tired," Jack shrugged.

"Okay, if you're sure," Bunnymund left the room and closed the door behind him thus leaving Jack to his own thoughts.

* * *

Elsa walked up the stairs in her dorm building. She was still engrossed in her thoughts about seeing Jack earlier. She climbed up the stairs with one hand on the railing. Each step seemed to take a lot of effort and time. She didn't even notice the person in front of her when she stepped onto the landing. She ended up colliding head first into someone and they both fell down onto the hard wooden floor.

"Watch it Elsa!" Astrid's voice said.

"Sorry," Elsa got to her feet as she rubbed her head. She reached out a hand for Astrid to grab and helped her to her feet. "Just lost in my thoughts."

"Thinking about a certain someone?" laughed Astrid.

Elsa turned red. "No," she lied. Astrid seemed to know that she was lying which just made her laugh even harder.

"Okay, if you say so," she said when she finally calmed down. "That person you're not thinking about is in his room if you want to go talk to him."

Elsa knew she was going to have to talk to him sooner or later. She nodded to Astrid.

"Where are you going?" she asked her. Astrid was dressed like she was ready to impress. She looked like she was about to paint the town red.

"Oh we're all going out to celebrate the end of exams," she said. "I'm meeting Hiccup outside the library in ten. Did you wanna come?"

"Um, no," Elsa said. Besides the fact that she was super exhausted and not in the mood, she was going to take Astrid's not so subtle advice and go talk to Jack.

"Ah, of course," Astrid gave her a wink. "He-who-must-not-be-named is waiting."

"Voldemort's here?" Elsa pretended to shriek in terror.

"Oh shut up," Astrid gave Elsa a friendly punch before waving her a goodbye.

Elsa watched Astrid leave before she headed over to Jack's apartment. She knocked on the door a few times but received no answer. She even poked her head into the apartment to take a look around.

"Jack?" she called out but she got no answer in return. She sighed and she headed back to her dorm room. Maybe Jack had gone down to the hang out that Astrid had mentioned. Elsa supposed that maybe she could go and join them. Maybe she could have some fun for a couple of hours? She pushed open her door and got a tiny surprise. Jack hadn't gone with the others for some fun but rather had come over to her dorm room. Perhaps he had been waiting for her? "Jack?" she said again but this time a lot more softly.

Jack turned around at her and gave her a smile. He was standing out on the balcony and there was a wind playing about with his gorgeous hair.

"Elsa," he said in no more than a whisper. Elsa walked towards him and he suddenly looked a little grave. "I guess we both have a little bit of explaining to do."

"I guess we do."

Elsa moved towards him. She leaned against the railing and stared up into Jack's perfect face. She sighed once more. Was she really going to admit everything to Jack?

"I-" Elsa began but Jack cut her off.

"Listen, you don't have to tell me why you're in therapy," Jack suddenly said and Elsa closed her mouth, "but I will tell you why I was there."

"Jack," Elsa said, "you don't have to do that."

"But I want to," he smiled. "You deserve to know the truth." He sighed again before taking in a deep breath. "I didn't exactly have a normal childhood." He looked grave again and Elsa could tell he was remembering some painful stuff. "I remember the first time it happened. I was only six years old and I was home late after a soccer practice. I found my dad drunk and my mother on the ground. She had a bruise on her face and she couldn't use her arm as it had been broken. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on." Elsa shuddered. She knew where this was going. "After my dad got bored with my mother, he moved onto me and then finally onto my sister. I didn't know what to do. I was only twelve. I didn't know what was happening was wrong." Jack heaved a sigh. He looked like he aged about ten years.

"What happened next?" Elsa said in nothing more than a whisper.

"Jamie," Jack said very simply. "He saved me." Jack paused as if for dramatic affect. "Jamie had only come over to lend me a book but he ended up saving my family. Jamie and I went to school together. I was the quiet kid who had trouble making friends. Thankfully Jamie saw through this scared exterior and befriended me. Jamie wasn't really old enough to question why I wore clothing that hid my injuries or wonder why I was scared to anger my dad. It was a bright a sunny Saturday morning when Jamie decided to pay me a visit. He and I had been discussing the latest book in a series we love. Jamie had brought the book over and he saw something he didn't expect to see; my father holding my arm and then twisting it. Jamie was shocked to see what he saw and he raced back to tell his mum who instantly got the police involved.

"The police took my father away on child abuse, domestic abuse, drug possession and distribution. He was sentence to ten years behind bars for it. That was the day things really changed for me. Mum managed to get a restraining order on dad and get her things in order. Thankfully Pippa was only six so she didn't get too much of the damage but mum and myself, well we did. That's why I'm seeing Miss Waters. I keep having these nightmares about everything that happened."

"I see," Elsa paused. So Jack was just as messed as she was. That was actually kind of comforting to know. Jack had been through the same kind horrors as she had. She had finally found someone who understood what she had been through. She let a smile cross over her features.

"You don't think I'm crazy?" Jack seemed to be relieved that Elsa wasn't recoiling in shock from him.

"No," Elsa shook her head. "What happened to you Jack is nothing to laugh at or to disregard in anyway. I don't think you're crazy. I just think you're a guy who went through a horrible thing and came out stronger because of it."

Jack smiled at Elsa. "Thanks."

Jack just stared at Elsa for several minutes. He looked like he was about to turn to leave but Elsa called him back. He turned to face her again. Elsa's palms were sweaty. Jack had told her the truth; maybe it was time for her to say the truth too? To say that Elsa that was nervous was an understatement. Her heart was racing now too. She had never admitted to anyone – apart from her therapist – what she was about to admit. What would she say? How would she say this?

"Um, Jack," Elsa's hands wrapped around her t-shirt and started to twist it in her nerves. "You told me the truth so I think I should do the same." Elsa took in a deep breath. "When I was five I lost my mother."

"I'm so sorry," Jack said. "You don't really talk about your parents."

"Yeah, that's because it's a bit of a sore spot for me," Elsa hesitated. Was she really going to continue? "You see after my mum died, things kind of…well…went downhill around my house. My dad…well…," she didn't know how to explain this or even say it for that matter. "My dad wasn't a good dad. In fact, he was the opposite. He…er…liked to use me for a punching bag."

"He hit you?" Jack seemed to be genuinely surprised by this.

"Well, yeah," Elsa admitted.

"Oh," Jack seemed to be a little stunned.

"Her…er…did other stuff too," Elsa said. She hesitated again before she launched into her story. Once the gates were open, there was no closing them. "My father wasn't always bad but things changed when my mother died. My father started to drink more and more and soon his attitude towards me changed. At first it was only a small slap and he tried to make it up to me by buying me gifts. This didn't last long. I soon became an outlet for my father's rage. A week wouldn't go by without me spending a week in the ER. His favourite weapon soon became his own belt and the hot poker." Elsa considered telling Jack about the scars on her back but she decided not to. That was a little too personal for her.

"This is why I am in Burgess and not home in Arendelle. I needed to get away from him. I felt like if I had stayed, I probably would have ended up pushing on daisies."

There was a moment while Jack continued to stare at her in stun silence. He was probably thinking along the same lines as her. Elsa had often thought that she was the only one and the fact that someone else had gone through the same torment and understood her pain as her was very relieving.

"Thanks for sharing this with me," Jack said. "I gather by your hesitation, you haven't mentioned this to anyone?"

"It's not really something I talk about."

"I understand that," Jack sighed a little. "Only really Jamie knows the truth that's because he witnessed it." Jack then looked like he remembered something. "Didn't you mention you had a sister?"

Elsa's face darkened a little. "Yeah, I did. Anna is…well…a sore spot for me."

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Jack quickly said, looking quite shocked that he had brought up such an alarming topic.

"No it's okay," Elsa said. Jack had told her the complete truth, so she should do the same to him. "Anna and I, we had very different upbringings. When Anna was young, I saw that she was going to go down the same path as me so I arranged for her to get out of the house – by convincing my father to send her to boarding school. Since she was away from our father, she didn't see or – more importantly – experience his wrath. She grew up believing our father – along with the rest of Arendelle – was a great man. Meanwhile, I grew up thinking he was the devil."

"So your sister never found out the truth?" Jack asked. "You've never told her?"

For an answer, Elsa shook her head. "I doubt she would even believe me."

"What happened to your father?"

"He…died," Elsa said. It wasn't a complete lie. He did indeed die but Elsa didn't want to discuss the circumstances. She didn't want Jack thinking that she was a murderer – well to be fair, she did kill a man but it was in self-defence? Elsa didn't know if that qualified in her mind as a murder or not – or even in the society's definition.

"Lucky for you," Jack's face darkened. "Mine is still alive and kicking."

Elsa tried to give him a friendly smile but it was hard to be happy when they were discussing such a horrible subject.

"Well at least he's in prison and can't hurt you or your family."

"True," Jack looked happy at these words. "Elsa, I've never discussed this fully with anyone before."

"Same here," Elsa said. "This isn't really something I discuss." Suddenly Elsa became very aware of what she had said to Jack. She had never _ever_ talked about this to anyone except her therapist. Her own sister and best friends didn't even have a single clue about any of this. She felt instant regret at what she had said. She shouldn't have said it. Could Jack be trusted with it? Sure, he had told her the truth so that was something. "I'm sorry," Elsa quickly said. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Elsa turned to leave – sure it was her apartment but she supposed she could go hide at the library for a while – but Jack held her back. Elsa looked down at the grip Jack was exerting onto her upper arm. It didn't hurt. She looked into Jack's blue eyes. She often felt like she was drifting into an ocean whenever she looked into those eyes – not the kind of ocean that you drown in but one that calms you and makes everything seem alright.

"Elsa," when Jack spoke it was in a calming whisper, "what happened to you, to me, is something that shouldn't be dismissed. I am glad that you trusted me with this secret and when you feel strong enough, trust others with it also. The fact that you admitted to me all this shows great strength. I can see that you don't want to talk about this because you believe others will view you as a weak person. I know this because I once thought it but now I realise that is all bullshit. Fuck anyone who actually thinks that Elsa. What matters is how you view yourself. When I look at you, I saw an amazing person and now that has only amplified. You have survived a horrible ordeal and that ordeal has only made you stronger. You have won this war Elsa, don't let peace kill you too."

Elsa felt a rush of gratitude towards Jack. She had been terrified what people would think of her but Jack's reassuring words seemed to have comforted her. Somehow, Jack had gotten through the thick, steal platted barrier that Elsa had constructed over the years. She didn't know how he broke through, maybe it was because Elsa had her defences down or maybe because Jack had gone through the same crap she had gone through.

Elsa then did something completely unexpected; she kissed him.

Elsa didn't know what had come over her. Suddenly she felt her lips pressed against his. There was a few moments of bliss while they kissed. Elsa's hand rested on his shoulder while her other hand cupped his chin. Then she realised what she had done. She was kissing Jack. Elsa quickly backed off when she had realised this. She took a few steps back from him. All through this Jack didn't do anything. He looked at her, stunned. It looked like he was processing what had just happened.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said but she was cut off.

Jack then grabbed her and pulled her closer. His hands cupped her face as he pulled her towards him. His lips found hers and they connected. Elsa's hands found Jack's shoulders again and she rested them there. They broke apart after several long moments.

"Wait," Elsa had just realised something. She made to push him off her. "This is wrong. You have a girlfriend."

"I broke up with her," Jack said. "Things haven't been right between us for ages now and I think it was time."

"Oh," that was all that Elsa could muster. A warm relief coursed through her. She had longed for a very long time now to hear this news and now she had. There was still a pounding question; had he done it for her? She didn't know. She didn't want to ask. It felt rude. Her father had always told her to not ask questions.

"We're both pretty fucked up right?" Jack breathed.

"Yeah," Elsa nodded.

Jack kissed her again and this time it was a lot more intense than it ever was. Elsa responded by pushing him onto the couch. Jack fell down backwards with a grin etched over his adorable face. His hand whipped out to grab hers and he pulled her onto him. Jack's lips found her cheek, neck and mouth.

"Well, what do we have here?" the shock of hearing someone's voice caused Elsa to let out a small yelp and fall off the couch onto the ground which hurt. Jack sat up while Elsa rubbed her head in pain. Standing behind them, wearing the most annoying and self-righteous grin, was Astrid. "So," she continued when neither Elsa nor Jack spoke, "this is what happens when you guys decide to get up to while everyone is at the bonfire."

"There's a bonfire?" Elsa quickly said.

"I was coming up here to inform you two that some students had gotten one going but it appears to me that things are already hot in here," Astrid smirked again. Elsa was really starting to hate that smirk of hers.

"Shut up," Elsa muttered. "What I get up to with Jack is none of your business."

"Never said it was," Astrid said. "Just find it interesting. So do you guys wanna come down or keeping making out?"

"I will come," Elsa quickly said.

Astrid looked a little disappointed. She wasn't the only one. Jack looked as if Christmas had been cancelled. Elsa, on the other hand, didn't know what had just happened. First she had been talking to Jack about all the crazy things that had happened in her life then she and him were making out. Elsa followed Astrid down to the elevator. Her head was still spinning from what had happened. Had she seriously kissed Jack?

"You okay?" Astrid's voice sounded like it was coming from a great distance away.

Elsa quickly snapped to. "Yeah," she paused for a moment, "I think."

"I would have thought this was something you have wanted for a very long time now."

"Yeah it is but…" Elsa's voice trailed off. She didn't know what to say next. Astrid was right. She had wanted to be with Jack for a long time now – practically since the first time she laid eyes on him. Astrid looked like she wanted to pursue this conversation but she was stopped by the elevator doors opening revealing Honey and Gogo. They both looked pleased to see that Elsa had decided to join them. Thankfully Astrid had decided to drop the subject while they were around their friends. Elsa had hoped that that this meant she would drop it for the night. It was not to be so.

Elsa and the others headed over to the bonfire that several students had started. Despite it being such a warm night, Elsa guessed that several students thought it would be a cool way to end the year. There were at least a hundred students gathered around it. They were all partying and drinking. Elsa shivered despite it being a warm night and she was so close to a massive bonfire – people kept adding to it. Elsa was sure that she saw several students throwing in some of their old textbooks into it. She was sure that they are going to regret that in the morning.

"Want a soda?" Astrid quickly asked Elsa.

"Yeah, okay," Elsa said, not really listening.

Astrid soon pushed a can of Coke into Elsa's hands. Astrid was soon swapped by Hiccup who had come over to them. He pulled Astrid away and Elsa soon saw them making out behind some bushes. Elsa moved away from them and tried to find someone that she could talk to. She didn't find anyone despite knowing that all her friends were down here. She eventually just leaned against a nearby building and watched the events take place. She didn't even touch her drink.

"Having fun?" Bunnymund had come over to talk to her.

"Yeah, couldn't you see?" Elsa said with some sarcasm over her words.

Bunnymund let out a little chuckle. "I gather something is on your mind. If not, you would be super excited for the end of exams."

"Yeah, there is," Elsa admitted.

"Wanna talk about it?" Bunnymund offered.

"No," Elsa said. She didn't exactly want to discuss what she had discussed with Jack. It was her deepest darkest secret after all.

"Well, if you ever want a friend," Bunnymund shrugged. He looked like he was going to talk about something else but Tooth was calling his name. Apparently they had started some sort of game – Elsa didn't quite catch what it was called – and wanted her boyfriend on her team. Bunnymund gave Elsa an apologetic look before joining Tooth. Elsa was now alone.

Elsa paused for a few moments before heading back to her dorm, clutching her unopened drink.

The next day Elsa woke up feeling a little weird about the events of the previous night. She guessed that her emotions were running a little high which could have been the caused the kiss and make out session last night. She sighed as she rolled onto her back and stared up at her ceiling. Was last night a mistake? She hoped not. She had raced out of there as running is what she does. She ran whenever she felt scared and she was scared. She had finally revealed her past to Jack and that made her feel vulnerable which just fuelled her frighten state. This leads to another thing that does that exact thing. Jack may regret it. Sure, he seemed into it at the time but he may come and find her and tell her exact that. She may just have to avoid Jack to avoid that conversation. She didn't think she could handle him saying something like that.

Elsa debated whether or not she should get out of bed. She just wanted to stay in her bed forever. A quick peek of the clock showed her that it was nearly seven in the morning. She never could sleep in past seven. Elsa stretched and got out of bed. She pulled on her slippers and headed out of the door. She walked down the hallway and headed into her kitchen and put on the kettle for some coffee. Soon the dorm room would be hers. The others would soon be heading home. Astrid would be going back to Scandinavia with Hiccup. Gogo was going back to back home which was San Fransokyo. Going with her was Honey, Hiro, Tadashi, Wasabi and Fred. Bunnymund was visiting his family in Sydney and he was taking Tooth with him to meet his family. She also knew that Jack wasn't going too far as his mum lived here in Burgess. That may be good and bad – it may get Jack distracted long enough so she can think of a strategy of what to say to him and it may give Jack motivation to get in contact with her.

Elsa sighed as she stirred milk into her coffee. This was going to be a mission. What was she supposed to say to Jack? He poured his soul out to her just as she had done. She didn't know how quite to respond to that.

"Morning!" came a voice behind her.

Elsa was so surprised that the gulp of coffee she had just taken went down the wrong way. She started to cough and the person behind her whacked her on the back. Eyes watering, Elsa turned around and saw that it was Astrid standing behind her. Elsa wondered if she had been waiting for her to get up. Elsa did always stick to the same routine every day.

"Hello," Elsa said, not looking too impressed.

Elsa waited for Astrid to say something but it looked like she was hesitating. Astrid looked like she was about to burst. Elsa knew what she wanted to say. She was dying to talk about Jack. Elsa took this time to drink her coffee in peace, savouring every moment Astrid didn't ask her. She wasn't really the kind of person who discussed her inner workings at every possible moment.

"So?" Astrid finally burst out.

"I don't know," Elsa said leaning against the kitchen bench. She decided to tell Astrid a part of the truth to shut her up. "I just freaked out."

"That was obvious," Astrid said, resisting the urge not to roll her eyes. Elsa resisted the urge to scowl at this. "So what are you going to do?"

What was she going to do? In truth, Elsa had no idea. Her first instinct was to run as fast as she can. She was messed up – well so was Jack apparently but Elsa was sure she was way more messed up than him. Elsa just wished that she could and hide – maybe like in the university's library – and just stay there until the end of eternity. But there was something inside of her that was screaming at her to go talk to Jack. She did really like Jack – perhaps she had even fallen in love with him? There were times which she definitely thought about it.

For an answer to Astrid's question, Elsa simply just sipped her coffee. Astrid looked even more frustrated now which only made Elsa smirk. Astrid went off in a huff back to her room and to Hiccup who had spent the night. With Astrid gone, Elsa's mind only wandered back to Jack. She sighed again. This would be so much easier if she could actually make up her mind. To date or not to date? That was the question.

* * *

Jack lay awake in his bed staring up at his ceiling. Last night was a bit of a question mark for him. He had confessed all to Elsa – which hadn't been easy for him but he felt like she deserved the truth since she saw him at his (and now he guessed her) therapist. He hadn't wanted to lie to her either. Jack hated lies. It was how he was brought up. His mother would always lie to him about her bruises and why she was always crying. Then he started to lie to others and himself about what was happening.

Jack looked over at his alarm clock. It was nearly ten in the morning. Jack's mother was coming to get him just after lunch time to help him with his stuff. He was heading home for the holidays. Bunnymund and Tooth had already gone home – Tooth was planning to spend the summer in Australia. Hiccup was laughing at this since they were both trading in their summer for Australia's winter. Although, as Bunnymund had pointed out, Australia's weather wasn't all that cold. Jack thought that maybe he should start packing but that could be done later. He wasn't taking that much stuff home. Students could leave whatever they wanted in their dorm rooms as it was theirs until they move out (which quite a few third years and fourth years do – they either move into the on campus housing which is extremely hard to get unless you're at least a third year or move into an apartment in the city) or graduate. Jack was only going to take his clothes home and some other stuff like his laptop and his games (Jack had made sure to bring his Play Station 4 which had been a gift from a family friend – Nicolas North).

Jack had another idea he wanted to do before he started to pack. He wanted to go chat to Elsa. His mind was still spinning from their make out session the previous night. He wanted nothing more than to continue that but he felt like Elsa was a little bit scared. Maybe she wasn't used to this kind of thing happening to her or maybe she was unsure on how she felt. Well he knew very well how he felt. He had never felt this way towards another person before. He wanted to be with her. How was he going to convince her to give him a chance? Talking to her would be the obvious choice but what would he say? A heartfelt confession? Pros and cons of dating each other? Well, Jack was never a planner – he usually just winged it and see where that gets him. Maybe he would get lucky and the right thing would just come out of his mouth.

Jack quickly got out of bed and hurried to get dressed. It was now quarter past ten. He didn't know what Elsa's plans were. He didn't know if she was planning on going home – well not that she ever talked much about her home and now he knew why. Jack hurried out of his room and found Tadashi and Honey packing up their stuff. They weren't going home to San Fransokyo until tomorrow but Tadashi wanted everything done today as they would be leaving them on an early flight.

"Hey Jack," they both smiled at him and stopped what they were doing.

"Hey," Jack replied. A sudden burst of inspiration hit him. "Honey – is Elsa in her room?"

"Last time I check," Honey's eyebrows got closer together as she looked at him. "Why?"

"No reason," Jack quickly said.

Honey didn't look convinced. She looked like the wheels in her brain were turning. Jack was under the suspicion that she knew what was going on but just wasn't saying a thing. Tadashi kept looking from one to the other. He didn't look lost – just confused. Jack didn't wait around to clear things up. He would just end up being drawn into a long conversation about his feelings with Honey and Tadashi would want all the dirt as well. Jack knocked on Elsa's door and discovered it was opened.

"Hello?" Jack called to announce his presence.

"Hello?" Elsa came out and saw that it was him. She blushed when she saw him. "Oh hello," she said.

"Are we alone?" Jack asked and she nodded. "Good because I want to talk about what happened last night."

"Oh right – that," Elsa's face fell. Jack didn't take that as a good sign. "It's just that – well – I've never really dated anyone before – or like had feelings for anyone in that way before."

"Oh," Jack would have betted good money that Elsa had a string of broken hearts behind her but then again, as he quickly realised, her father may not have approved her dating.

"And," Elsa hesitated as if something was stopping from continuing, "I've a bit of a runner when it came to anything."

"It's okay," Jack gently gripped her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "How about we start off with baby steps?"

"What do you propose?"

"How about a date? This Saturday, I am going to take you to the movies."

"Sounds fun," Elsa giggled.

Jack hesitated but leaned in. Elsa met him half way and their lips met.

"Please tell me that this means you two have a date lined up," the voice of Astrid suddenly took the pair of them out of their little magical world. Jack looked behind him to see Astrid leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and a smirk all over her face. Jack scowled.

"Shut up," the pair of them said together which only made Astrid laugh.

* * *

 _A couple of weeks later_

Anna was examining herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a short blue skirt with white t-shirt that an Eiffel Tower in gold glitter and the word bonjour' in alternating red, blue and white lettering. She also had black sandals on and a red beret. Her long strawberry blonde hair was let loose down her back. She flicked it and liked the way it flowed.

"Is it just me or is someone getting ready for a date?" a voice from behind her said.

Anna looked behind her and saw that Tiana, her friend from school, was standing right behind her.

"No," Anna said innocently but Tiana saw her blushing.

"Aha!" Tiana said. "It _is_ a date!"

"Not really," Anna tugged at her hair. "I'm just meeting someone for coffee."

"Does this _someone_ have a name?" Tiana leaned in close and had a grin plastered all over her face. Anna was really starting to hate her now. "Is it Kristoff by any chance?"

"Stop it!" Anna said but her blushing caused Tiana to know it's the truth. "We are just going to meet for coffee!"

"Sure," Tiana starting smirking again.

"What are you even doing here anyway?" Anna sounded a little angry.

"I promised your aunt I would help her with the play," Tiana said. "Remember?"

"Oh yeah," Anna had almost forgot that her aunt had volunteered to work behind the scenes at her cousin's play this year. Tiana had offered to help with the catering since Aunt Greta had once tasted her food and she hasn't stop raving about it.

"Have fun on your date," Tiana sang as she exited the room.

"It's not a date!" Anna called after her which only made her laugh.

Anna's good mood had gone which wasn't something she was happy about. She huffed all the way down to the local café where she was meeting Kristoff. Tiana didn't know what she was on about. It wasn't a date….was it? It was just two friends meeting for coffee. Sure, Kristoff had asked her for coffee and sure, Tiana always said that coffee was a tester date before the actual date but it was just two friends right? It wasn't as if she had feelings for Kristoff…right? _Right_? How could she have feelings for the guy anyway? He was just a friend – a friend who made her feel like she was walking on air, made her heart beat a thousand times a second, get butterflies in her stomach and make her feel good. But just a friend right?

Anna shook her head. Maybe she did have feelings for Kristoff. Well even if she did, it wasn't as if he had feelings for her. He probably saw her as Elsa's little sister. Well, they did hang out a lot over the last year and he was helping her through getting over the whole Hans' catastrophe which is why he asked her out for coffee. His plan was to fill up her day with all kinds of cool fun stuff to get her mind off Hans. It was working very well but it was also causing Anna to realise that she may actually have feelings for Kristoff which may be a reason why she felt like she was getting over Hans so quickly. They had broken up only a few weeks ago and Anna didn't know if she felt like dating so quickly. Well maybe she should see how it goes with Kristoff? After all, he is a pretty good guy.

Anna's feet finally landed her in front of the café where she was meeting Kristoff. She sighed as he looked into the café. She saw Kristoff sitting at one of the tables. He was checking his phone while he drank his drink so he hadn't yet noticed her. Anna breathed in very deeply. Sure, she could tell him but she felt like it was a bit too early to date anyone yet. Maybe at some point in the future though.

Anna walked through the doors and Kristoff looked up and waved her over. Anna felt a smile creep over her face. Well maybe that point in the future may end up coming a lot quicker than she thought.

* * *

Carl Boot groaned as his pencil tapped against the daily crossword in the newspaper. His palm rested against his cheek as he struggled with the next one he had to do.

"You okay there?" Carl looked up and saw his fellow co-worker Adam Granger standing over him.

"Three across, ninetieth element on the Periodic Table, begins with a 'th' and ends in 'ium'," Carl said.

Adam paused as he processed the answer and Carl just stared at the paper, hoping "Thorium," Adam said, sitting down next to him. Carl gave him a long stare. "What? I did Chemistry at school," Carl continued to stare, "and I just Googled it."

"Thought so," Carl laughed but he still wrote down the correct answer.

"So," Adam took the chair next to his friend, "what is in store for us today?"

"We have a release to deal with," Carl passed the papers.

"And he is ready for it," came a voice from in front of them.

Carl looked up to see a man with a muscular tone, short cropped blonde hair wearing a dark brown suit jacket over matching pants and a grey top. Carl stamped his files and signed them before filing them away.

"Congratulations Vincent Frost," Carl said, "you're now officially a free man."

 **A/N: Okay, this has finally been uploaded. Super sorry it's taken THIS long. So many things have gotten in the way; uni work, procrastination, more uni work, being sick. So sorry. Anyway to the story, sorry if there is mistakes. So Mr Frost is out of jail and the backstories have been revealed - hope they were up to scratch. Also some Jelsa and Kristanna goodness.**

 **Onto reviews!**

 **Angelwings178: Thanks for the kind compliment. Means a lot. (Yeah it does a little but trying my best to stay semi true to them) Hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters as much.**

 **Charllote64: Thanks so much. Hope you enjoyed how the Jelsa therapy unfolded.**

 **Liz: Thanks so much.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Yeah I feel really bad for Anna too - but things are looking up for her. Yes to his childhood - so much more though. Thanks!**

 **Guest: Yes I have! Sorry I am like so AWOL. Haha, uni is so stressful - last year so trying to finish everything up. Thanks.**

 **Little Timothy: Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Acceptable Gentleman: Thanks so much.**

 **Layla MT: Don't get too down about your English - it's pretty good. Thanks! Yeah it is funny that they do. Thanks!**

 **150Songs: Thanks!**

 **Guest: I try to!**

 **NIresda123: You find out the answer to that! Thanks!**

 **sanaa11: I guess they did!**

 **AFallenAngel1221: Glad that you were happy about that! Yeah uni is a pain and gonna continue being a pain. Yep, they do! Thanks!**

 **Cal: Oh yeah he is. He kind of did, didn't he? Sorry it took a while for Jelsa to get rolling but I didn't want to dive right into it but don't worry, we got the Jelsa ball rolling now. Jack's past is all revealed now. Hope you liked it. Thanks.**


	16. The Scars of The Past

**Hello! Yes I am back - and not dead! First off, I would like to apologise for my long absence.**

 **Where I was; I was busy finishing my last ever semester of university (I am graduating soon, yay!) and I really had to concentrate on that so writing had to take a backseat. I had a lot of work that needed to be done. Also I had massive writer's block on a particular scene in this chapter so that took a lot of time. Sorry guys! Will update as soon as I can.**

 **Anyway, I am back and hopefully chapters will come out at a steadyish rate. I've had people wondering if I am not going to continue this, this story will not be discontinued. I will finish this story, promise!**

 **Note; This chapter contains sex scenes.**

 **Dedicated to Blind Red Dragon - thanks so much for your help in this chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Scars of The Past**

 _Two months later_

"But what on earth does your mother want with me?" Elsa asked, nervously, as she clasped her bag shut.

It was a late summer's evening and Elsa was about to head out to her usual therapy session. Jack sitting next to her and he just told her something troubling – well to her anyway. Jack seemed unnaturally calm about the whole thing. That just stressed out Elsa even more. She was starting to sweet a little.

They were sitting in one of the computer labs at the university. It was her, Tooth, Bunnymund and Jack. Tooth and Bunnymund had come back from Australia the week before. They were currently in the middle of registering for their classes for the year. Elsa's exam results had been what she had hoped for. She had worked hard in order to pass for the year. She didn't exactly what to repeat any classes or have to return home a failure – well she wouldn't go home, she would try another university. She could never return home. She didn't want to go back to that life.

Elsa's computer had her proposed timetable – what her timetable would be if she enrolled in the classes she had currently picked – up on her screen. Elsa had been halfway in deciding what psychology classes she had wanted – she was trying to decide between two classes – when Jack had showed up. Tooth and Bunnymund had already been with her. Tooth had wanted to get her class enrolment done early and Bunnymund had ended up following her lead. Tooth had already finished her enrolment. Since Tooth was planning on becoming a dentist, she pretty much had predetermined classes picked out for her, so it wasn't that hard for her to get it done. Bunnymund was just scrolling through classes. Elsa wasn't even sure if he was looking at classes that he had the prerequisite for.

Jack had that look on his face that clearly told Elsa that he had been looking for her for a while. Elsa didn't know why he had been running about the university when she had her phone not a few feet away from her but then again, sometimes the obvious doesn't always apply to people. Jack had sat down and stared at her screen for a few minutes. Elsa could tell that he was excited to tell her something and wasn't really looking at what she was up to. She sighed and then asked him what he was so amped up about. When he told her the news, her heart stopped. She had wanted to meet his family, she was just nervous about what they would think of her.

"She wants to meet you," Jack said. "We've been dating for a while now and mum and Pippa want to get to know you."

"Pippa too?" Elsa had heard a lot about Pippa already from Jack. She could tell that Pippa will be a tough customer – well that was what she was afraid of anyway.

"Relax," Jack gave her a small kiss on her cheek, "Pippa and my mum will love you. How can they not?"

Elsa felt a small flutter in her stomach. It was nice that Jack thought that his family would end up liking her but she doubted it – she wasn't sure if she was the 'family will like me' type. This was like the big test in their relationship. She loved Jack. If his family didn't like her, then it would be it for her relationship with Jack. Jack wouldn't want to date someone his family hated. Jack grinned at the dismantled expression on her face.

"Relax," he said again, "so I've gotta go. I'll see you tonight!"

He gave her another small kiss before running out of the labs. The lab supervisor gave him a disgruntled look as Jack raced by. Tooth pushed her chair towards Elsa the moment that Jack left the room. She had a small smirk playing around the corners of her mouth. Elsa didn't think she had seen her like this before. Tooth was clearly enjoying the situation. Elsa gave her a sideways scowl before going back to her classes. However, Tooth wasn't going to give up that easily. She popped her head into Elsa's field of vison as soon as Jack exited the room.

"May I help you?" Elsa said in a rather stern voice.

"So," Tooth really drew out the word, "you've got a date with the Frost family."

"It looks like it," Elsa said after a slight hesitation. Tooth was still giving her the smirk. Elsa debated whether or not to ask for her help. As a person who was in a serious relationship, she would have undoubtedly have meet Bunnymund's parents and would know how to handle this kind of thing. So maybe it would be worth it to ask for her help. "Um, Tooth…" she didn't know exactly how she was going to phase this, "could you…would you…."

"You need help impressing Caroline and Pippa right?"

"Well…yeah," Elsa admitted.

Tooth beamed at her. "Meeting parents are my speciality. Bunnymund's mother adores me."

"Oh thank god," Elsa's face split into two.

"Just find me before the date," Tooth quickly logged out of her computer and picked up her things, "it's tomorrow night right?"

"Yeah," Elsa nodded. "Thanks so much for your help."

"Don't worry about it," Tooth said. "I'm sure that Honey, Gogo and Astrid will all come to your aid."

Elsa smiled at her friend one last time before Tooth scurried away but Bunnymund stayed behind.

"Don't worry about meeting Caroline and Pippa," Bunnymund said. "They are really nice people and I'm sure they will warm up to you in no time. Besides, they have been practically begging to meet you – and that was before you and Jack started to date."

"Really?" Elsa giggled.

"Oh yeah," Bunnymund said. "Jack wouldn't shut up about you so Pippa has been asking to meet the girl who Jack can't stop jabbering about."

Elsa laughed. "Oh god, that's not good. Now they will have high expectations about me. I won't be able to live up to them."

It was now Bunnymund's turn to laugh. "I doubt that will be the case. Jack has only told them the truth about you."

"Yeah – an embellished truth."

Bunnymund laughed again. "Don't sweet it! You'll do great."

Elsa wasn't so sure about that. Bunnymund quickly raced off to find Tooth whom he hoped hadn't gone too far thus leaving Elsa to deal with her class problem all to herself.

* * *

Anna was out with Zoë as they lapped up the last of the Arendelle sun. They weren't exactly looking forward to going back to school in a couple of weeks but Anna guessed that they can't be on holiday forever despite wishing they could. At that moment, they were walking down the main streets of Arendelle, each was holding a cup of coffee. They were both bored out of their minds. Neither of them had done anything over their summer break and both of them wished they had.

Little did they realise their lives were about to get a little more exciting.

"I'm so bored," Anna said as she flopped down on bench in the middle of Arendelle Park, near the fountain.

"Well if you hadn't shot down every idea I came up with, we could have been at the roller park, ice rink or maybe the movies."

"The roller park is closed, too hot for the ice rink – seriously, the kind of clothes that you need to wear for that would have given us a stroke – and it's not like we haven't been to the movies a dozen times already."

"Just trying to come up with ideas."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Maybe we should just go catch a flick."

"Great! What one do you want to see? I saw the trailer of Bridget Jones's Baby. That looks good. Gotta love Bridget Jones."

"Yeah, why not?" Anna shrugged her shoulders.

Zoë quickly checked the times of the movie.

"Oh," she sighed. "We've missed the last session."

"Ah well," Anna sighed too. "Did you just wanna go back to my place and marathon Netflix?"

"Sure," Zoë said.

They both got up from the bench and started their way back towards the main streets of Arendelle.

"Anna?" a familiar voice sounded from behind them. Anna quickly turned around and saw that the familiar voice belonged to a familiar person – Kristoff. Anna slightly blushed when she saw him. She hadn't seen him in a while. If truth be told, she had missed seeing him. Kristoff had been busy with his job – delivering ice – so he hadn't had a lot of time spare. Kristoff beamed at Anna while Zoë said hello to him.

"Hello Kristoff," Anna matched his smile. "I haven't seen you around for ages. You're working way too hard."

Kristoff laughed. "Yeah, maybe. It's summer, so everyone wants ice for their businesses, clubs and bars. Of course Bjorgman Ice offers the lowest prices in town."

Anna laughed too. Trust Kristoff to endorse himself while in a random conversation. Kristoff's ice business was his passion. He worked it around his university timetable which wasn't an easy task. Thankfully, his older brother helped him from time to time so that Kristoff wasn't swamped with work. In the background, while they were talking, Anna noticed Kristoff's van. The van had Kristoff's logo – a workman carrying ice – painted on it. Anna guessed that Kristoff was halfway in delivering some ice for the day. For a split second, Anna considered asking if Kristoff would allow them to come with them. Would be quite interesting to see Kristoff at work plus it would give Anna some time to catch up with Kristoff.

"So what are you lovely ladies doing on a fine day like this?" Kristoff asked the pair of them.

"Gonna go back to Anna's for a Netflix marathon," Zoë said.

"Sounds fun but why aren't you enjoying the sun?" Kristoff asked them.

"Because it's like thirty degrees and way too hot," Anna explained.

"Ah, so true," Kristoff laughed again. "Actually, Anna I was glad I caught you. I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" Anna prompted.

"Well um," Kristoff seemed a little bit nervous to say what he wanted to say. Anna waited, patiently for Kristoff to find the words he wanted to say. "Are you free this Saturday?" The words burst from his mouth before he had a chance to figure out the best way to say those words.

"Free?" Anna repeated. "Saturday?" Anna's mind was boggled. Was Kristoff doing what she thought he was doing?

"Yeah," Kristoff started to play with the zipper of his jacket. He started to blush a deep scarlet and he was avoiding eye contact.

"Um," Anna didn't know what she should say. On one hand, maybe going out with Kristoff would be fun but she didn't know if she wanted to go down that path. She didn't know if it was because of what happened with Hans, whether she just wanted to remain friends with Kristoff or because she was nervous about dating Kristoff. What should she do? She was adamantly ignoring Zoë's smirking face. She knew what Zoë would want her to do. Zoë would say to go on the date but that didn't matter to her.

"So?" Kristoff pressed. He seemed eager to know Anna's answer. He wasn't the only one. Zoë was also looking at Anna to see what her answer will be.

"I'm sorry," the words were out of Anna's mouth before she had even considered all the options. "I'm helping my aunt with errands that day. Maybe next time."

"Oh," Kristoff looked disappointed as did Zoë. Zoë knew that the words coming out of Anna's mouth was a lie but Anna didn't know what to say without being mean.

"Sorry," Anna said again.

"So am I," Kristoff whispered before giving Anna one last smile. "Maybe next time, like you said."

"Yeah," Anna put a smile on her face. "Maybe next time."

Kristoff quickly hurried off back to his van while Anna turned on her heel and walked back towards the main streets with Zoë at her heels. Zoë had a bemused expression on her face the entire time it took them to get back to Anna's house. Anna knew that she was desperate to discuss what had happened with Kristoff. Right on cue, Zoë burst the moment they walked through the doors to Anna's aunt and uncle's house.

"What the hell was that?" Zoë demanded.

"What do ya mean?" Anna said before flopping down on the couch. She picked up the remote and started to flick through the shows that were available. As Anna did this, Zoë stared at her with slack jaw amazement at her attitude. It was a few minutes before Zoë's brain managed to communicate with her mouth.

"Kristoff is a perfectly normal, amazing, cute guy and you turn him _down_?"

Anna struggled to convey what she was trying to feel.

"I just don't like Kristoff in that way," Anna lied – well maybe not completely, her heart said yes but her head kept wondering if she really did.

Zoë's mouth opened and closed several times. She seemed to have trouble accepting this answer – especially after Anna had practically confirmed that she potentially did earlier in the year.

"I don't believe it," Zoë said. "You do like him. In fact, I _know_ you do."

It was Anna's turn to be a little stunned. She had hoped that Zoë had forgotten about that little moment but Zoë rarely forgets stuff like that. In order to play for more time, Anna flicked through episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt.

"I guess I just don't want to date," she finally said in a small whisper after a few seconds passed. What Anna had said, was true. She didn't know if she was ready after the whole fiasco with Hans despite wanting to date. She would have liked to gone out with Kristoff but she didn't think it was quite the time to.

Zoë didn't say anything. She seemed to have accepted this answer. Instead, Zoë grabbed the remote from Anna and choose an episode for them to watch before she laid back into the couch cushions to get comfy. Anna smiled at her friend while she wasn't looking. Anna was glad that Zoë wasn't going to push this any further. She didn't know if she particularly wanted to get into this.

The time passed with Anna and Zoë just hanging out on the couch watching one random episode from one random show to another. Anna didn't know how much time had passed when the door entered and her aunt and cousin entered the house. They were both carrying groceries.

"What's up?" Anna's cousin said as she flopped down on the couch behind them.

"The sky," Anna said without moving her eyes off the TV.

"Ha ha ha," Astrid said highly sarcastically.

"Well we were bored so we went down to the main streets of Arendelle to shop but bought nothing," Zoë explained, "then we went for coffee, debated on what to do next, oh and then Anna rejected a date from Kristoff then we decided to-"

"Hold up," Astrid said. She turned to her cousin who was slowly sinking into the couch. "Anna said no to Kristoff?"

"Yeah she did," Zoë turned around to look at Astrid.

"Why?" Astrid said. "Kristoff would be perfect for you."

"Look," Anna said. She was about to go into some big rant about why she didn't want to date but no words came out of her mouth. Both her friend and cousin were looking at her expectantly. "Just drop it," Anna said after a while.

"Kristoff is a sweet boy," Anna's aunt said from the kitchen where she was making dinner for them all. "I'm sure Anna will accept his date in due course."

Anna turned bright red which caused Zoë and Astrid to snigger.

* * *

Jack was busy preparing dinner for him and Elsa. Elsa was going to come over and together they were going to stay in for their date. Over the last couple of months, he and Elsa had begun to date. So far, Jack would say it was going really well – well at least he hoped it was. He couldn't exactly read minds but from what Elsa said and did around him, while they were on dates, seemed positive.

Jack quickly lit a couple of candles on the table. He had already set the table – two plates, some cutlery, a couple of napkins and a single red rose in a clear vase. Jack looked quite pleased at his handy work. To him, it screamed romance.

"So, trying to seduce Elsa, I see," Jack turned around to see Bunnymund straightening a tie. Jack blushed a little.

"I'm just trying to be a good boyfriend," he stammered.

"Okay, okay," Bunnymund laughed. "Anyway, I'm taking Tooth out to dinner and then the theatre tonight which will finish late so you will have the whole place to yourself in case you wanna…." He let his voice trail off and gave Jack a smug look and a small nudge. Jack turned bright red. He knew what Bunnymund was insinuating.

"Oh shut up," Jack finally said as he went back to stirring the curry he had made. That just made Bunnymund laugh harder. Jack scowled at him as he left the dorm, still laughing.

However, as Jack stirred the dinner he had prepared, Bunnymund did have a point. He would like to take that step with Elsa but so far, he hadn't made any move to suggest that he would like to go down that road. Who knows, tonight may be that night.

A small knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Jack quickly straightened up his shirt and checked his hair before opening the door. Elsa was wearing a simple but elegant blue shirt that was tucked into black jeans. Her hair was out of its usual braid but instead it was done up in a graceful bun. She also wore simple blue flat shoes that matched her shirt and had gold stubs in her ears and small diamond necklace around her neck. Jack's mouth, as usual, dropped whenever he saw Elsa all dressed up.

"Hey," Jack said after a little while.

"Hey," Elsa said in return. She gave Jack a small smile which Jack returned.

Jack welcomed her inside with a small kiss to the lips and then invited her to sit down. Elsa did so as Jack poured her a small glass of wine.

"So how did your registration go?" Jack asked as he sat down opposite her, a wine glass was also in his hand.

"Okay," Elsa shrugged. "It took me a while to determine what class I wanted but in the end I went with my gut."

"That's always a good choice," Jack beamed at her.

"So what about you?" Elsa said after taking a small sip of wine.

"What about me?" Jack sounded confused.

"Well, when are you going to enrol?"

"Uh," truth be told, Jack hadn't exactly given it much thought. He wasn't even sure what classes he wanted to take this year.

"I would get onto it as soon as possible," Elsa said. "Classes will fill up soon and you could miss out or you could end up in a crummy stream at like eight in the morning or like five in the evening."

"Good point," Jack said. He made a mental note to look at his classes the following day. Maybe this year, he would end up with a half decent timetable.

"So what's for dinner?" Elsa asked, staring longlining at the pot on the stove.

"Surprise," Jack wagged his finger at her which made her giggle. Jack got up from the table and headed over to the pot where he stirred it one last time. After making sure it was cooked, Jack laid it out on the table where he served it up to the pair of them.

"Mmm," Elsa said. "Smells good."

"Here's helping it will taste good," Jack said.

Elsa picked up her spoon and used it to scoop up some of Jack's curry. She placed it in her mouth. There was a tense moment for Jack as Elsa tasted the dish. A warm smile erupted over her face which made Jack feel so relieved.

"Oh that's good," Elsa said as she ladled a larger amount into her mouth.

"Why thank you," Jack said as he tried he own dish. It tasted okay to him so he was glad that he hadn't cooked something that wasn't nice.

Dinner soon passed. They had some light pleasant conversation as they ate but nothing too deep. They talked a little bit more about the kinds of classes both of them wished to take that year – Elsa in fact gave him a few good ideas for what he should take that year. Then they moved onto what was the plan for the next day. Jack could tell that Elsa was nervous about meeting his mother and sister. If it was the other way around, Jack would be just as nervous to meet Elsa's family. Although, the only family that Elsa had – disregarding anyone that wasn't immediate – was her sister and they weren't exactly on speaking terms, from what he had gathered. So he doubted that Elsa was going to introduce him to her anytime soon. Well for now, he just had to make sure that Elsa felt welcomed in his house. His mother could be quite a tough person when it comes to the person he dated. Well, he understood this. His mother didn't want Jack to end up the way she did – divorced and with a restraining order against the person who she was supposed to trust more than anything in this world.

"You okay Jack?" Elsa asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Jack smiled at her. "I'm fine."

"Okay," Elsa smiled even wider at him.

After dinner, they spent the time watching a movie. Elsa rested her head against Jack's chest as they watched. It felt quite nice. It was one of Jack's favourites that he had insisted on showing her which only made her laugh. She had agreed as she had wanted to watch the movie at some point so she was glad that she had gotten around to it – finally, Jack had been thinking. Even though it was like Jack's hundredth time watching the movie, he still enjoyed it like it was his first.

Jack turned off the TV after their movie had ended while Elsa stared at him. Elsa had ended up snuggling up to Jack which he didn't seem to mind.

"So what do you think?" Jack asked.

"I liked it," Elsa smiled. "Although it was funny to see Luke kiss what would be soon to be revealed to be his twin sister."

"A bit yeah," Jack matched Elsa's smile. "You wanna watch the next one?"

Elsa laughed. "Maybe next time."

Jack grinned.

* * *

Anna, Astrid and Zoë were flopped in front of the TV after eating dinner. Zoë had ended up staying over and was now in a pair of Anna's pyjamas. It was lucky that all three of them were similar sizes. Zoë wasn't the only one who was sporting pyjamas – Anna and Astrid were too. It had kind of turned into a slumber party. Anna was lying on her front with her legs sprawled upwards and over the back of the couch; a lime green blanket was thrown across her back. Zoë was lying in front of the couch with her body covered by a multi-coloured blanket and had her hand in a bowl of popcorn. Astrid was sitting on her feet with a pink blanket wrapped around her shoulders. A sprawl of magazines could be found next to her.

Anna had the remote in her hand. She was aimlessly flicking through channels on the TV. She was waiting until their standards were low enough so that any trash on TV was good enough for them to watch.

"Just pick something," Zoë said suddenly as they passed the same channel for the tenth time.

"But nothing is picking up my interest," Anna argued back. It was true. The only things on were the same old boring trashy stuff that wasn't at all remotely interesting.

"Fine then!" Astrid grabbed the remote off her cousin and flicked through a random channel. It landed on the channel E as it was half way through the local gossip show that discussed everything and anything about celebrities. At that moment, it was currently finishing up a story about an upcoming awards show. Anna decided that gossip about celebrities was better than nothing.

The three of them laid back into the couch. Anna wasn't really paying much attention to the show – she had sort of zoned out. It wasn't until she heard Hans' name being said did she snap to it. She quickly sat up and stared at the screen and focused on the story that was being told.

" _In other news,_ " the woman on the screen, " _Hans, son of Frans and Elina Westergaard – owners of the mega company Westergaard Industries – was recently spotted with his girlfriend, Gabriella Hartvigsen who had recently topped the charts with her hit song_ 'Schooled' _. Together they were seen entering a local hot spot in Milan. Photos seen caught the couple dancing and kissing._ " The screen flicked to show these photos as well as other photos of the night. The woman continued to talk about the rest of what was apparently their one month holiday together. " _We look forward to see super cute adorable pictures of the couple!_ " The woman continued. " _If you guys ship Hanbriella as much as we do here at, feel free to go to our website to check out more fantastic photos and stories about the fabulous couple!_ "

After the story on Hans, the woman turned to her co-worker – a male colleague – who took over discussing the next story. It was something to do with a local celebrity in the States who was caught up with some scandal about lyrics in his song. However, Anna didn't hear any of this. Her hands were clenched against her knees as she tried to keep her rage and jealousy within her. So Hans was flaunting his new relationship all over the gossip channels was he? Meanwhile, Anna was scared that she may not be ready to date and ended up turning down a date from a guy who she actually liked and cared about. Anna had decided that enough was enough. If Hans didn't show any regard for their relationship then neither would she.

"You okay Anna?" Anna had only noticed that her friend and cousin were staring at her.

"Yeah, fine," she snapped.

"Woah," Astrid said. "I'm sensing some tension over here. Is it because of the news article? Is this to do with Hans?"

"You could say that," Anna let out a snarl. "This is just unbelievable. I am trying to move on and Hans is just flaunting one relationship after another."

"Well Hans does have a reputation for being a jerk," Astrid said.

"And a womaniser," added Zoë.

"Not helping guys," Anna said to the pair of them.

"So whatcha gonna do about it?" Zoë said in a gangster voice.

Anna didn't respond to her friend who was still looking at her expectantly for Anna's response. She wasn't the only one – her cousin was also looking like she was wondering what Anna's next move was. They both knew that Anna felt so hurt by Hans' actions. It was time for Anna to finally strike back. For an answer to her friend's question, Anna grabbed her phone. She found Kristoff's contact details and started to text him.

" _Hey Kristoff, found out that I am actually free on Saturday. How about grabbing coffee at the usual place at one?_ " Anna stared the text for a few more seconds before she hit the send button. That should do it, she thought to herself. It was a few minutes before Kristoff messaged her back.

" _Sounds good_ ," the text message said. " _I'll see ya there. Looking forward to it._ "

"So what did you text?" Astrid asked her.

"It's not like we don't know who you texted," Zoë said with a sly smile. "So what did he text back?"

"Oh shut up," Anna threw one of the couch cushions at her friend. The cushion hit her friend squarely in the face. Anna smirked as her cousin roared with laughter.

* * *

Elsa could feel Jack's longing eyes flickering in her direction. She resisted giving a small smile. She had a good idea what was playing around in his mind. She moved a little closer to him and placed her hand, slowly, on his knee to tease Jack a little. Jack's hand twitched as if he wanted to grab her hand. He seemed to be trying to focus on the TV – a little too hard in Elsa's opinion.

A small glance in Jack's direction granted Elsa the knowledge of seeing Jack glance in her direction again. Their eyes met for a small moment. Both of them smiled in that split second their eyes met. Their moment was only interrupted them by the sound of a gunshot on the TV which drew their attention back to it. Elsa's attention moved from thinking about her boyfriend to wondering who got shot on the show. Even though Jack had introduced her to the TV show only one episode ago, she was starting to see the appeal of it.

The episode ended there on a cliff hanger – without revealing who was shot. Elsa groaned a little but it was starting to get late. She knew that if they didn't end it there, they would never end it. Elsa yawned and stood up to stretch her arms and legs. She caught Jack's twinkling eyes as she did so. He held out his arm to her in order to entice her back to him. A giggle escaped Elsa's lips. She took his hand and Jack pulled her onto him. She fell on top of him and they both started to laugh.

"How did you get so cute?" Jack smiled at her.

"It's in the genes," Elsa said. "These jeans in fact."

Elsa ran her hand up and down her jeans when she spoke. Jack laughed at the joke that his girlfriend made. Jack's soft lips made his way to hers. Elsa let Jack's smooth lips find their way around her checks, neck and finally back to her lips. Jack got to her feet and took her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom. Elsa knew what Jack was wanting – it's not like they haven't done stuff before but was Jack going to ask her to go further?

Once they crossed the threshold into Jack's room, Jack's lips were on hers again. Elsa felt the whole world leaving her as her love for the man in front of her consumed every fibre of her being. Elsa pushed Jack onto the bed where he grinned at the view in front of him. Jack quickly pulled off his t-shirt and Elsa got a goofy expression on her face as she admired the body of her boyfriend. Elsa's expression only made Jack grin even more. Elsa collapsed onto the bed next to him and they resumed their make out session. Elsa's hands ran up and down Jack's body while Jack's found his slipping down Elsa's shirt to caress her breasts.

Elsa realised that Jack's hands were fiddling with her buttons. She quickly backed away – so much so that she nearly hit her head against Jack's headboard. The look on Jack's face was a mixed of horror and the look of someone who thought they did something wrong.

"What's wrong?" Jack said quickly. "Was I going too quickly for you? Did you not want to do this?"

"It's not that," Elsa bit her lip. How was she going to explain this to him? On one hand, she did want to go down this route with Jack. This was kind of the intimacy she had been longing for, for a while now. However, she didn't really know to be this intimate with a guy – or really with anyone to be truthful. Besides, if Jack continued the way he was going, he would see her scars and that was a secret she was planning on taking with her to her grave despite the fact that would be an unlikely situation.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to," Jack said, interrupting her thoughts and giving her a soothing smile.

"No," Elsa had decided what she wanted to say. If she could avoid the whole situation entirely would be nice. "I just uh, don't know how to do this."

"Don't worry," Jack gave her a reassuring smile. "We can take it slow, do what comes naturally and at any time, you can stay stop."

He seemed to misunderstand her meaning although Elsa couldn't blame him – her meaning was ambiguous. However, Elsa was glad that Jack was so sweet about this whole thing.

"Any chance we could do this with my shirt on?" Elsa bit her lip. Would Jack go for it?

"If you're worried about your body, you have a smoking hot one," Jack said which earned him a small smack from Elsa.

"It's not that," Elsa bit her lip again. Should she tell him? He knew about the cause of it. But what would he say if he saw the result? "It's easier if I show you."

Elsa carefully took off her shirt and unclipped her bar so it hung loose around her breasts. Jack would find out sooner or later. Elsa was very nervous. She had never _ever_ shown these to anyone before. They had been her little secret for around fifteen years. What would Jack say when he saw them? What would he do? Would he be repulsed by them? He probably would. They were ugly and nothing to be proud of. Shaking slightly, she turned around to show Jack her scars. She heard a gasp as Jack saw what was on her back.

* * *

Jack watched as Elsa slowly took off her shirt. He wondered what could be going through her mind. Why wouldn't she want to take off her shirt? She had told him that it wasn't a body issue and he believed her when she said that but still…there was something strange going on. So what could it be? Jack could see the pain and nervousness in her eyes. In that one moment, Jack knew that she was going to reveal something big to him. Jack felt his palms start to sweat. It was clearly something of great importance. Elsa slowly turned around and finally showed him what was on her back. Jack gasped when he saw it.

Scars upon scars were etched deeply into her back. Harsh burn marks could also been seen. They both were in various stages of healing which told Jack that this had been going on for a while. No wonder Elsa didn't want to take her shirt off. She was scared to think what people would think of them – maybe even see her as a victim which Jack had come to the conclusion that Elsa didn't liked to be labelled as. Jack's finger had reached out and traced one of the scars. These were the evidence of the horribleness that Elsa had to endure for years and years. When she had told him about it, he had hoped it hadn't been as horrible as what he was seeing.

Jack's fingers stretched out, almost on their own, to try and touch one of them. His mouth didn't stop hitting the floor as his fingers moved closer and closer towards those scars. Elsa shuddered and moved, instinctively away.

"Sorry," Jack quickly whispered. "I didn't mean too."

Elsa didn't say anything. Elsa quickly placed her shirt back on as Jack continued to gap at her. So many things were going through his head. What was he going to say to her? He didn't know what to say or do. She was looking at him rather expectantly. Jack quickly focused his thoughts and decided on what he was going to say.

"Elsa," Jack said in a small voice, "were you ashamed to show me these?"

For an answer, Elsa simply nodded. It looked as if her tongue was frozen.

"Why?"

Elsa sighed. "I don't like people knowing. It gives people a view on me that I don't like them to have. They see me as a victim and these scars prove it."

"Elsa," Jack gave her a warm smile. "These scars don't show that you're just a victim. They show that you are a survivor of a terrible thing. Sure, being a victim is never easy but you become stronger because of it. It's a mark of your strength. It doesn't make me think of you any less; in fact it's the opposite. It shows me just how strong you are. If it's even possible, I love you even more for it."

"Really?" Elsa's eyes glistened a little.

"Really," Jack nodded.

Suddenly Elsa's lips were on his. Jack collapsed backwards with Elsa on top of him. Elsa rolled over on Jack's bed and now Jack was on top. His lips were made their way from Elsa's mouth, neck and then onto her breast. Meanwhile, Elsa's fingers found their way down to Jack's belt and started on it. The pants were torn off in a second before Jack's own fingers managed to do the same to Elsa's own pants.

Jack pushed Elsa onto the bed and climbed on top of her. His fingers quickly opened up a drawer next to his bed. A small silver square item was extracted from it. He seemed to struggle with opening it for a bit. Elsa couldn't help but let out a small giggle which made Jack look a little sheepish. He quickly slipped on the device and that's when it hit Elsa; this was going to be her first time. What was it going to be like? Quick? Fun? Painful? She could have stopped right then and there at that because she didn't think she could handle any more pain but somehow she couldn't stop herself and she didn't know why. Somehow, it didn't seem to matter.

His lips attached themselves to hers. His kisses came in quick succession and the passion kept climbing with each one. One of Jack's hands clasped around his bed's headboard. He thrusted gently at first but then he got into a rhythm. Each one came faster and harder. There was some pain after the first thrust but for some reason, Elsa didn't mind it. It wasn't horrible or upsetting, it was somehow amazing. It felt right. It felt so good – in a way that Elsa had never experienced before. The pain just seemed to fade away as she concentrated on the incredible feeling that came with it. Elsa started to moan, softly to begin with, and then a long one escaped her lips. Elsa let out another long moan that had Jack's name within it. A large grin appeared on Jack's face.

Elsa felt herself reaching climax and she could see that Jack was going to as well. His thrusting had gotten slower as Jack was trying to slow down and enjoy the ride. The grin never ceased to disappear. Elsa's own face spilt into two as well.

"Harder," was all that Elsa could muster.

Jack responded by thrusting even harder. More moans of pleasure escaped both of their lips as Jack continued. A gasp escaped Jack as he reached climax. He wasn't the only one – Elsa too was fast approaching climax. Jack rolled off her and lay down beside her. He was panting hard as was Elsa. Their breaths came in low sounds before laughs escaped.

"Oh my God," Elsa said.

That had been the first time she had done that – with anyone. She almost couldn't believe it. People kept telling her how great it was and she had been afraid to try it herself, mainly because she was afraid to get intimate with someone and the scars on her back had always been a point of fear for her. That had always been a sticking point in her attempt to get intimate with someone. She always wondered what people would say if they saw them. Would they freak? Would they run? Attack her? Ridicule her? Go on some crazy rant that Elsa did not need to hear? However, Jack hadn't been afraid of them though. He had embraced them. He had called them evidence of her survival and she had never thought to look at them like that before. But Elsa was glad she had gone through it – she had finally connected with someone on not only an emotional level but a physical one too. She had loved Jack for so long and now she could finally be her complete and full self with him. That was someone she have never shown anyone, Now that she had, she felt actually kind of relieved that she had.

"You know it," laughed Jack.

* * *

Anna woke up the next day with the sun shining in her face. In her room, she could see Zoë sleeping peacefully on a spare mattress next to her. She looked so peaceful unlike Anna whose brain was going into overdrive. She had woken up with morning regret. She shouldn't have sent that text to Kristoff confirming their date for the upcoming Saturday – well not for the reasons she did it anyway. She only did it to make Hans jealous and to show him that she had moved on. She hadn't done it for any of the right reasons like for the fact that she actually liked the guy and would like to hang out with him further.

Anna sighed. She didn't know what she was going to do about this. On one hand, she could go on the date and enjoy it or she could find Kristoff and cancel it – doing it in person would be better than just blowing him on in a simple text message. That would be douche move. So which should she do? Anna sighed once again and turned on her side. She gazed at the pictures of her friends on their various trips around the world. After a long, hard think, she finally came to a conclusion on what she should do.

Carefully, without waking Zoë up, she headed over to her closet to decide on what she should get changed into. A simple white t-shirt with a picture of Empire State Building was chosen to go along with some three-quarter blue denim jeans and some black sandals. Anna paused for a moment before she threw on purple hoodie. She doubled checked her hair, cleaned her teeth, left a note for Zoë (and her aunt and uncle) and grabbed her stuff before she headed out the door – she didn't even stop and have breakfast.

It didn't take Anna too long to find Kristoff. She knew he would be out and about delivering his ice – also she had texted his brother to find his location. Kristoff wasn't always the best at answering his phone. Anna soon found him at his van unloading a few bags of ice to a man outside a club. He looked pleased to see that Kristoff had arrived with his ice. Anna quickly headed over to him. Kristoff looked up when he heard the sound of running feet heading in his direction. He smiled when he saw her and Anna couldn't help but smile back at him when he did that.

"Hey Anna," Kristoff said as he took off his gloves and wiped his forehead of sweat. "What brings you here so early?"

"I, uh, need to talk to you," Anna said. "Could I have a minute?"

"Sure," Kristoff turned to his brother who had suddenly appeared from around the other side of the van. "Hey man, could you finish this up for me?"

"Sure," Kristoff's brother gave him a smirk which made Kristoff blush.

Kristoff followed Anna a few metres away from the van. When they came to a halt, Anna turned to look at him. Was she really going to do this? Well even though the end result was something she did actually desire, her motives and reasons weren't exactly pure. Kristoff gazed at her expectantly as Anna breathed in deeply.

"Kristoff, I got to confess something to you," Anna said.

"Confess?" he looked confused.

"I shouldn't have accepted your date," the words came tumbling out of her mouth without Anna coming up with a plan to say it nicely.

"What do you mean?" Kristoff looked even more confused than ever.

"You're a nice guy Kristoff," Anna said, choosing her words carefully. "A guy who I really do like – you're like the first decent guy I've come across. But I don't know that I'm ready to date. The whole thing with Hans has really tainted my view of dating – well for the moment anyway. I only said yes because I was jealous of Hans dating some singer celebrity girl. I wanted to show him that I was over him just as much as he was over me."

"But you're not over him are you?" Kristoff looked a little upset.

"Oh that fucker can go die in hell. I don't give a tiny rat's ass about him anymore. I just don't know if I'm ready to put myself out there."

"You know, someone who lives in fear, will never experience life."

"What do you mean?" now it was Anna's turn to look confused.

"What I mean is that if you always live in constant fear, you will never get out there and live life. A beautiful woman like yourself should get out there. You have to some energy to beat down a thousand suitors."

Anna let out a small laugh. "Stop it."

Kristoff smiled. "I got to get back to work but I'll see you Saturday."

"Wait, what?"

"For our date," Kristoff said as he retreated. "It will be fun, you'll see."

Anna opened her mouth to protest but Kristoff had raced off. Anna's mouth curled into a smile. She couldn't help but being happy about the fact that she had a date with Kristoff. Who cares about Hans? She found someone so much better.

"Where have you been?" Astrid asked Anna when she walked through the door, her mouth was full of cereal when she spoke.

Astrid, Zoë and Anna's aunt and uncle were sitting at the kitchen table. They were all eating breakfast when Anna walked up to them. Anna didn't answer her cousin's question but instead grabbed a bowl of porridge that been left out for her.

"Please tell me you didn't go see Kristoff to cancel the date," Zoë said as she looked up from her cereal.

Anna paused for a moment but then spoke. "No, I didn't cancel our date."

"Good," Anna's friend and cousin said at the same time.

"You have date with Kristoff?" Anna's Aunt Greta said looking up from a magazine. "When did this happen?"

"Last night," Anna said.

"Oh good," Aunt Greta said. "Kristoff is a sweet boy."

Anna had to hide her rolling eyes.

* * *

They say that time flies when you are dreading something. It wasn't as if she was dreading the dinner date with Jack's family – she was just fearful of it. This whole dinner could determine her future relationship with Jack. If his family hated her, who knows if he would want to continue to date her.

The time to get ready soon arrived and Elsa opened her closet to look at her various clothes. Thirty minutes later Elsa was on her bed, surrounded by her clothes – her closet was now empty. Elsa was nearly on the verge of tears. She had no idea what she was going to wear. Everything she pulled out seemed to be the wrong choice. She needed to make a good impression and nothing in her closet screamed that. Elsa let out a groan. What was she going to do?

"I could hear you screaming for our help from miles away," the voice of her friend Tooth said from the door of her bedroom. She wasn't alone. With her, Honey was standing a few steps behind her and looking a little concerned.

"I need help so badly!" Elsa said through her tears.

"Come now," Tooth resisted the urge to laugh. "We shall help you."

Tooth and Honey walked towards the pile of clothes and started to look through them. They started to sort them into different piles. Elsa thought that maybe they were ranking the clothes. Nobody said anything as Tooth and Honey collaborated on what outfit Elsa should wear. Eventually, both Tooth and Honey nodded to each other.

"Here," Tooth threw the outfit at Elsa. "Get changed into these."

"Okay," Elsa decided that she should just go with it. She doubted that her two friends would just mislead her in anyway. Elsa stepped into the bathroom and started to get changed. Tooth and Honey had picked out a cyan coloured dress with some small ruffles at the very bottom and a sash that went around her middle. For shoes, she was wearing matching high heels. Elsa headed back into her room where Tooth and Honey, now joined by Gogo, all nodded in agreement.

"Hair and makeup!" cried Tooth.

Elsa was shoved into a chair in front of her dresser and mirror. Tooth paused for a moment before she put it into the braid that Elsa always wore her hair in but then used that braid as a base for bun. While she was doing that, Honey picked out a silver bracelet to go on her wrist, some silver earrings to match and a sapphire necklace to go around her neck. Afterwards, Honey applied some light foundation and blush before adding some red lipstick and some purple eyeshadow to Elsa's face. They all stood back to admire their handiwork.

"Great," they all said together.

Elsa looked at herself in the mirror. Well at least she looked presentable. She actually kind of liked what her friends had accomplished. She doubted she would have come up with something better or similar. Maybe she could actually pull this thing off after all. Besides, it's what Rapunzel said – if you look good, you feel good and if you feel good, you feel confident. Here's hoping she's right.

"Oh, you will need some kind of gift," Gogo said. "Wine?"

"Why?" Elsa asked.

"Cause it's a guarantee way to get the mum to like you!" Gogo said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine," Elsa said, rolling her eyes. "I'll pick something up on the way there."

Jack's reaction to when he saw Elsa was the one she wanted – his jaw has dropped when he saw her. He had come over to pick her up for their dinner date at his parents. Jack was dressed in a suit and blue tie. He looked quite handsome. Elsa took Jack's offered arm and he escorted her down towards the car. The car ride was done in silent. Elsa's mind was too preoccupied on the night ahead. She was already going through several dozen different scenarios.

"You okay?" Jack said.

"Yeah, I think so," Elsa replied. It was a lie. She wasn't sure how she felt at this point. Butterflies were going haywire in her stomach. Elsa's eyes caught the sight of a flower shop. Gogo had told her to get something for the family. "Stop!"

"Why?" asked Jack.

"I want to get your mum something," Elsa said.

"Oh you don't have to," Jack said.

"But I want to," Elsa said. "Let's go there." She pointed to the flower shop. Jack shrugged his shoulders and turned the car around. Elsa quickly darted into the shop carrying her debit card while Jack waited in the car. Elsa had insisted on doing this herself.

The doorbell rang when she went into the store. A woman with short black hair done up in a bandana and wearing a store uniform was behind the counter. She had briefly looked up when Elsa had walked in but when back to texting on her phone. Elsa didn't know if she was simply a bad employee or just didn't care. Elsa shrugged and carried on with what she was doing.

She walked up and down the rows of flowers as she decided on what she liked. After the fifth time of walking up the same row, she had come to the conclusion that she did not know what to get. There were just too many choices. What should she get? Roses? Lilies? Tulips? Daisies? She started to get a little nervous. What if she chose something like lilies when she was a daisy woman. Or this could be a complete waste of time and the mother was allergic to flowers. Elsa sighed. Maybe this was a bad idea and she should just get something safe like wine…unless Jack's mother wasn't a drinker. Well every idea did have its merits and its downsides.

"You need some help there?" the woman behind the counter wasn't even looking at her. Well it didn't take a genius to know that Elsa was in need of help. She had been aimlessly wandering around the empty store for about ten minutes now and hadn't decided on something.

"What would be a good gift for a boyfriend's mother?" Elsa asked. She was no longer sure that she could do this herself.

"Depends on the boyfriend's mother's interests," the woman said, still not looking Elsa. She had now filing her nails. Elsa had come to a conclusion about her. She didn't care nor was she a good employee.

Very helpful, Elsa thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. Elsa looked up and down the flowers before checking out the specials. Maybe she should just go ask Jack what she liked. It may not be the way she had wanted to do this but it would save her time and stress.

"About time," Jack said when she headed back out to the car.

"Oh I'm not done," Elsa gave him an apologetic smile. "What kind does your mum like?"

"Lilies," Jack said and Elsa rushed off to purchase a dozen lilies. She should have just asked him from the get go.

It wasn't long before Elsa found herself walking towards the door of Jack's house. She was feeling very nervous. She had never met the parents of a boyfriend before. The closet she got to meeting parents was when Merida moved to Arendelle and Elsa had dinner with them and Merida one night. That night went sort of okay – she didn't get kicked out after all. However, this was going to be more than a step up – it was more like a few staircases, an elevator ride and an escalator up. How on earth was she going to do this? She wanted Jack's family to like her but she was sure that she was going to say or do something stupid that would cause them to hate her. She was also foreign and wasn't exactly up to scratch with American traditions.

Well, Elsa would just have to do her best – whatever that may be. So far, she knew her best bet would be to bond with Pippa. Pippa and her – from what Jack had told her – had some stuff in common. They shared some movies and music in common so she was sure that they had something to talk about.

But Jack's mother? She may be a different story. She hoped not. Well Elsa would just have to make sure that she liked her. Elsa looked down at the bunch of flowers she had picked out. She hoped that they will be just what she needs.

"Don't worry," Jack said as he rang the doorbell. He clearly had noticed the worried expression all over her face. "They'll love you."

The door quickly opened and a girl – who looked like she was in her late teens – was behind it. She had long brown hair that went to the small of her back. Elsa could see the same blue eyes that Jack had. She was wearing dressy black jeans and a red blouse that went over her belt. Instead of wearing shoes, she was barefoot.

"Jackie!" the girl, who Elsa had quickly figured out must be his sister Pippa, pulled Jack into a big hug. "You must be Elsa," Pippa's eyes looked Elsa up and down. She beamed at her which Elsa took as a good sign. "Come on it." Pippa grabbed Elsa and pulled her into the house.

The room that they had come into was a small longue area. Elsa could see a TV in front of a sofa and a few other chairs. Pictures of Jack, and what Elsa assumed, Jack's friends and family were scattered around the room. A small hallway led to what Elsa could see was kitchen area. Stairs next to the door led to an upstairs floor. Pippa took Jack's suit jacket and placed it a closet next to the door.

"Is that Jack?" a voice came from the kitchen.

A woman in her late forties came from the kitchen. Like her children, she had shining blue eyes. She had short brown hair that matched the colour of Pippa's hair. Over a sliming black dress, she had an apron on.

"Welcome Elsa, I am Caroline," she said. "Welcome to our home."

"Thanks," Elsa said. She quickly pushed the flowers she was carrying in her direction. "These are for you."

"Oh lilies!" Caroline beamed. She took the flowers from Elsa. "Pippa be a darling and put these in water."

Pippa took the flowers as Caroline took the apron off and placed it on the bench.

"Dinner will be in a little while," Caroline said. "Can I offer you both a drink?"

A few minutes later, the three Frosts and the one Winters was sitting in the longue sipping some wine together. Elsa was still feeling a little nervous. So far so good, she hadn't done anything stupid – well at least not yet. The flowers were a hit so that was a good start for her. Here's hoping that she can continue with it.

"So Elsa," Caroline said. "Jack says that you are not from around here."

"I knew that wasn't an American accent," Pippa quickly said.

"Yeah," Elsa said. "I come from a town called Arendelle. It's located in Norway."

"Norway?" Caroline looked quite impressed. "That's a long way from here. What made you come over here?"  
"University," Elsa explained. "I wanted to do law and the University of Burgess is one of the best law schools around."

"Ah I see," Caroline nodded. "The University of Burgess has attracted many foreigners over the years. Jack's friend Bunnymund for starters."

"Oh yeah," Elsa smiled. Bunnymund was more like her than she had first realised when she had met him. Both had come from different lands and from over the oceans. Although she had first thought he had exaggerated on how many things were dangerous over there until she watched a documentary on Australia with him.

"So tell us a bit about yourself," Pippa asked.

"I'm sure Jack has already told you all you need to know," Elsa said. She glanced sideways at her boyfriend. She was hoping that he hadn't told them too much about her.

"Well yeah he has but I wanna hear it from you!" Pippa seemed exited.

"There isn't really much to tell."

"Come on," whined Pippa. "Let's start with family. Siblings?"

"One, a sister," Elsa said.

"Oh and what's she like?" Pippa asked.

What was Anna like? Elsa didn't really know the answer to that question. She had spent all of about a few hours every time Anna would come home from boarding school with her. Anna spent most of her time with their father. Plus they had also grown up apart from each other and from young age. So what could Elsa say?

"She's great," Elsa said. She was sure it was true even though Anna hated her guts. She had made that quite clear at the courthouse. "I don't get to see her much because she goes to boarding school."

"Ooo where?" Pippa genuinely seemed excited by all of this. Elsa didn't know why. It wasn't exactly riveting stuff.

"Switzerland."

"Did you go there too?" Caroline asked.

"Um, no," Elsa was starting to get nervous. They were heading into dangerous waters. This wasn't the time or the place to be discussing her abuse but then again, Jack's family also had suffered at the hands of abuse. They may understand.

"Why?" Pippa asked.

Elsa wasn't really sure on what to say. She could just give a simplified answer. That would allow them to move on from the conversation and into something that was less stress inducing on her. However, Elsa was saved from answering when they heard the oven timer go off.

"That means dinner's ready," Caroline said.

Elsa was glad for the distraction. Not only did it steer the conversation away from a sensitive topic but she was also hungry. The smells coming from the kitchen were quite enticing. Elsa smiled at her hosts and followed Jack to the table in the other room. Next to the kitchen was a small dining room. A mahogany table was in the centre of the room. On the green wallpapered were photos of people that were obviously related to the three Frosts in the room. Jack pulled out a seat next to him for Elsa. Elsa blushed as he did this.

"What a gentleman," she said which made Jack give her a small wink.

Opposite them, sat Pippa. She was giving the couple a curious look. Caroline came back and forth into the room carrying bowls of food. Elsa thought it all looked delicious.

"Guests first," Caroline said giving Pippa a stern expression when she reached for the food.

"Thank you," Elsa felt a bit embarrassed. She would have been perfectly fine with going after but she still felt a little honoured.

Caroline had made a chicken curry dish. Elsa placed some of the rice onto her plate before ladling some of the curry on top of it. Elsa placed a large mouthful into her mouth. Apart from it being slightly hot (both temperature and spicy wise), it was really good.

"All good?" Caroline looked slightly nervous. Elsa grinned at her which made her beam with joy.

A small silence came over them as they dug into their meals. Elsa had been hoping that they may have moved on from interrogating her but it was just a pipe dream. Pippa had a determined look on her face which told her that this was going to be trouble. Well then again, she was her brother's girlfriend. Even though they had only been dating a small while, their relationship had turned serious. Neither one of them had ever made a connection on this level before. Elsa knew that Jack's previous relationships hadn't come close to what they had. Maybe that is why Pippa was so keen to delve into the waters of Elsa's life.

"So Elsa," Caroline put down her fork, "what do you study at university?"

Elsa swallowed what she was eating and replied to Caroline's question. This question led to a conversation about a local news trial that was happening about a man who was on trial for the murder of his wife and sister-in-law. The conversation was pretty interesting as both Elsa and Caroline had different ideas on his guilt. However the pleasant conversation only lasted so far. It wasn't long before the topic of her family was back in the limelight and it partially Elsa's fault.

"This reminded me of a trial back home that took place when I was just a kid," Elsa said. "This guy was thought to have murdered his whole family but he had an alibi but he was still convicted of the crime."

"That was in Arendelle right?" Pippa asked.

"Yeah," nodded Elsa.

"Norway is so far away," Caroline said. "Your family must miss you a lot."

"I guess," Elsa shrugged.

If the truth is to be told, she had no idea whether or not her family missed her. All that had happened between her and her family, threw that into doubt. She knew that Anna wasn't missing her but she did hope that the rest might – her grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousin. That would be that her family wasn't all bad.

"Your sister would be," Pippa said. "I remember when Jack went on a trip to New York for a school trip and I missed him like crazy. Even though the guy drove me crazy."

"I doubt that," Elsa said. "Anna and I have never gotten along."

"Why?" Pippa sounded curious. "Sibling rivalry?"

"More like different upbringings," Elsa muttered.

"What?"

"Oh never mind," Elsa forced a smile.

"So, what about your parents?" somehow Elsa knew that Caroline knew Anna was a sore spot.

"Um, they're both dead," Elsa managed to say.

"What happened?" Caroline said.

"Car accident," Elsa said. "My dad got shot."

"I am so sorry," Caroline said. "Was it recent?"

"My mother died when I was five and my dad only died last year," Elsa explained.

"Oh dear," Caroline gave her a sympathetic look. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Elsa said without realising the words coming out of her mouth. "It's no big loss."

"Why?" Pippa and Caroline exchanged looks. Elsa quickly reddened.

"We don't have to talk about this," Jack quickly said.

"It's okay," Elsa had just realised something. Jack's family were also victims like her. They would understand. She had debated this before but she didn't have to hide it from them. Anna wouldn't have believed her and why would she? She like the rest of her family grew up thinking that Adgar Winters was a decent, hardworking man. Jack's family didn't have that blindfold on. They wouldn't think any less of her, think it somehow weakened her. They knew what she had gone through and would sympathise with her – help her. She knew it would be quite a strange thing to discuss on their first meeting (maybe a bit TMI) but it was something that Elsa needed to get off her chest and better it be with people who would understand and wouldn't judge her. "My father wasn't exactly the best of all people."

Pippa's face had the look of someone who was in an exam who had just realised what the question was asking them – the click. Caroline was looking a little confused. It was as if she was following but at the same time, didn't want to.

"So he…?" Pippa let her words trail off. Elsa knew exactly what she was asking.

"Yes," Elsa nodded.

"I gather Jack has mentioned our lousy father too?" Pippa's face went from a sad and understanding expression to a darkened look.

"That did get brought up," Elsa looked over at her boyfriend. "Jack and I have gone through the same trials in our pasts. I think that is one of the reasons why we have such a strong relationship. We understand each other on a different level that no one in our pasts have ever been able to do."

"That is true," Caroline suddenly spoke up. "When I first met Vincent – Jack and Pippa's father – I thought I was in some kind of dream, little did I knew that dream was going to turn into a nightmare. When it started, he was apologetic, he was kind, he tried to make it up to me." Her voice almost broke at this last bit. Elsa was thinking that this was all starting to sound really familiar. "I told myself all kinds of things to justify it 'it's my fault', 'I made him mad', 'it's punishment', all were things that I kept repeating to myself and if you tell yourself something for long and hard enough, it becomes true in your head. Snapping out of that is probably the hardest thing I've ever done to this day. I don't know where I would be without the Bennetts. I'm sure Jack has told you the story of Jamie Bennett?" Caroline paused as Elsa nodded. She remembered the story; Jamie, Jack's friend, had once came over unexpectedly and saw everything. He then told his parents who got the police involved. "Well Mrs Bennett, bless that woman, was the person who saved me. She was the one who got me out of that relationship. It was hard; I was a battered woman – still am too this day, that doesn't really go away but it does get easier over time – and a woman who was suffering from PTSD of the trauma that the relationship brought upon me. As a battered woman, we believe so many things that just aren't true; we think we are the only ones, we think that we are too blame, we think that we deserve it – that it's our fault. But these are simply not true. There is simply no excuse for hitting _anyone_ and if anyone does, they are the ones who are sick in the head. Our fault? We are trained to think that so we think it's the norm. I know what you're thinking Elsa, you're thinking that this is all hard to swallow. Trust me, I know it's hard to believe it. _I_ took years myself to start even coming remotely near understanding it. I still have trouble to this day but at the end of the day, my kids were saved and I was saved from an abusive man who has no business being in any family. This kind of thing is not often spoken about and it should be. Domestic violence – any violence really – needs to be addressed. Looking back at my relationship with my ex-husband, I sometimes can't believe I survived it. We can now put it in the past where it belongs. It doesn't define us anymore. You just gotta get to the end of the tunnel, it's hard but it's doable. So can one survive? One can indeed survive – I did and I don't even know how."

"We all did mum," Pippa rested her hand on her mother's. Pippa turned her attention back to Elsa. "Elsa did too." She grinned at her and Elsa sheepishly grinned back.

Elsa was grateful to Jack's family. They really did understand her, they _really_ did. She had longed for someone to and now she had. They had gone through the same thing she did and they had come out stronger. It gave her hope that maybe, one day, she too could come out stronger.

"So Elsa –" Caroline only got two words out before there was a knock at the door.

"Are we expecting anyone mum?" Pippa looked as confused as her brother and mother.

"Only Elsa," Caroline got to her feet but she didn't get far. The sound of the door opening could soon be heard. Elsa thought that this was quite brash of whoever it was. You don't just open the door randomly without an invination – well unless it was someone who the Frosts knew very well, like a neighbour or a good friend. Elsa supposed it could have been one of them; this could just be something that they do.

The shuffling of feet was soon heard outside the room and a man appeared into the room. He was tall – probably around the six foot mark – with scruffy clothes (a brown jacket over a grey sweatshirt with dark grey pants with black shoes) on that looked like they haven't been washed in weeks. The same could be said about his hair. His scraggly blonde hair looked quite unkempt. It hung loose around his eyes and ears. He had stubble around his face and looked like it hadn't been shaved in days. In Elsa's opinion, he looked like a homeless man or a man who doesn't know what a mirror is. The only thing that stood out was his shining blue eyes that looked oddly familiar.

Elsa looked at the other three in the room. The look of horror on their faces told Elsa all that she needed to know. She looked back at the man in the room. She knew exactly who this man was.

It was Jack's father.

 **A/N: I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Sorry again it took so long. Apologies if there are any mistakes. I had a bit of trouble with the sex scene so I hope I did it justice. Anyway, please review!**

* * *

 **Reviews;**

 **Guest: Haha I hope that was a happy 'I hate this story'.**

 **Guest: Anna gets better, I promise.**

 **Guest: Oh wow, I am so flattered. Yeah I know there are some mistakes, I am sorry, I do my best to catch them all but some do slip through the net. Oh I did finish Thirst - there will be a prequel coming up soon. Anyway, nope haven't left this story. Thanks for the lovely words, don't worry, your grammar is fine.**

 **Banana: Haha, sorry but I gotta have some chapters like that.**

 **Lishi-La-La: Yeah sorry about the mistakes. I do try and get them all but I'm not the best with my own stories. Actually no, Anna does have green eyes. I did look it up to double check.**

 **Kimchee2222: Yep, Jelsa is all go in this chapter. I know it was fast but I gotta get the story to move along. Also, the scene you wanted is in this chapter. Hoped you liked it. I know you wanted the Jelsa relationship to progress before the dad comes into the picture, hope it did enough for you, otherwise, sorrrrrry. Haha, sorry for leaving you out on that cliff for so long. Okay, on the Astrid thing, there are two, I know it's confusing, I didn't plan it that way and was stupid about it. So there's Astrid Winters - Klaus and Greta's daughter (Klaus is Adgar's brother) and Elsa and Anna's cousin. Then there is Astrid Hofferman - Hiccup's girlfriend and from HTTYD. Thanks. Glad you've been enjoying the story.**

 **Charllote64: Thanks so much. Sorry for the long breaks, I had a busy year.**

 **A Shadow Away: Thanks. So glad that you have been enjoying. Sorry for not a lot of Jelsa bonding times, I gotta get the story to move along.**

 **Faithambr: Thanks!**

 **Blind Red Dragon: Haha awesome. I've been Pokémon Go hunting recently due to the Starter event. Glad you've enjoyed it. Also, did you like my little surprise for you?**

 **Niresda123: Me too. You're gonna find out what Vincent is up to in the next chapter. Yeah he will, we need more Kristanna.**

 **AFallenAngel1221: Haha, that is so awesome. Thanks so much. Don't worry, this story won't be discontinued.**

 **sanaa11: Thanks. Yeah, I like that scene too. Haha, Jack's father is gonna cause some trouble.**

 **ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Yeah me too, they needed to. Haha, she may have - and again in this chapter, maybe subtlety though. Yeah, your bad feeling may be proven to be true.**


	17. The Sins of The Father

**Hey guys! Guess who's back! Sorry for the delay. Before we start, just want to say one thing. A lot people have been getting confused between the two Astrids. There is Astrid Winters, Anna and Elsa's cousin who lives in Arendelle (she will only stay in Arendelle). The other Astrid is Astrid Hofferman from HTTYD and is Hiccup's girlfriend. She lives in Burgess. Sorry for the confusion guys. When I started writing this story, HTTYD character wasn't going to appear and then I decided they should. Of course this was AFTER I already had Astrid Winters in this story. But don't fret guys! Astrid the cousin is only in the Arendelle set scenes and Astrid Hofferman is only in Burgess set scenes. I hope this clears everything up.**

 **I would also like to say that it is nice for people to want me to update so quickly but it is hard for me to constantly update (I know I used to in my earlier stories). I am trying to get my final draft of each chapter to be really good for you guys and that takes time. Plus I have to live my life so that of course stalls things. I do my best to make sure that the chapters are updated as a good pace but I apologise that it takes a bit of time. Please be patient!**

 **Also thanks again to Blind Red Dragon's help. Once again, you came to my aid and I thank thee for it!**

 **Chapter 17: Sins of The Father**

Jack's fist clenched. Fourteen years of anger started to bubble inside of him. His so called father kept his gaze firmly on his wife and children. It seemed to him that he didn't even register that there was a fifth person in the room. No one dared to speak – it seemed like everyone was afraid to speak.

Silence continued. Everything that Jack had ever wanted to say to his father went rushing through his brain, morphing together into one big blob that was in coherent. Well what would one to say to a man who made you feel so worthless, so powerless, so alone? Finally someone spoke.

"Hello family," Vincent said.

"We are not that anymore," Caroline whispered.

Every single word she spoke quivered. Every word sounded like it had the weight of the world upon it. Caroline's hands shook with anger as the words escaped her lips. Her face turned white. Jack had never seen his mother this angry before. She looked as if she was about to lose it – that's if she hadn't already.

"Now, now, my dear, Caroline," Vincent almost wagged his finger at his ex-wife – his voice almost sounded patronising, "don't be like that."

Caroline could have breathed fire at his words. Gone were the days where she would have bowed and scrapped to him. Gone were the days where she would tremble if his tone indicated anything other than a happy mood. Gone was the freighted woman who has now been replaced with a woman who knows that Vincent Frost is a mean and nasty man. Well the truth of it was that Jack hoped that was all true. There were times in the past where Jack was scared that his mother would have gone back to his father. However, Jack felt like now that his mother knew what he knew; his father was a bad man and a man like that shouldn't be allowed to walk free.

"Well, well," Vincent's eyes fell upon Elsa. Jack saw Elsa tense up. "Who's this?"

Jack didn't know how but he would have betted every cent in his bank account that his father somehow knew who Elsa was. Maybe Vincent was keeping tabs on them after all. Well his father was a very controlling man so this wasn't a huge leap. He also didn't like the look Vincent was giving Elsa – almost gleeful.

"No one," Jack said. There was no way in hell that he was getting Elsa involved in his family drama. "Now get the fuck out of this house."

"Jackson," Vincent looked angry, "that is no way to talk to your dad."

Jack knew what his father was doing – he knew it oh too well. His father was trying to bully him and left unchecked, his words would be the last thing Jack should worry about. However, Jack wasn't some timid little boy, cowering in his father's presence. He was now a man and this man doesn't cower in fear.

"You heard me," Jack snarled. "Get fuck out of our house or else, I'll call the police."

Vincent's hands curled into fists. His face had the most evil expression etched upon it but Jack didn't care one little bit. He, himself, was angry. He could feel it bubbling up inside him as if he was an active volcano about to erupt. Vincent looked between members of his family; first to his ex-wife, then to his daughter and finally back to Jack. Jack wondered if he was considering his options in his thick skull, maybe wondering if it was worth making a fuss. Vincent then let out a low growl before he stormed out of the house. Jack let out a sigh of relief, it could have been much worst.

No one spoke. It seemed that no one wanted to speak. Jack, for one, couldn't even get the words to come out his mouth. The words seemed to get lost on their way to his throat. Jack's eyes fluttered over to his girlfriend. She was shaking and Jack didn't blame her. Her own father probably talked and acted like that. Jack's own mum had collapsed at the kitchen table. Her hand was pressed over her heart.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "Oh my god."

"Mum?" Jack hurried over to his mother and took her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," his mother managed to get out after a few seconds of silence.

Jack watched his mother take in some deep breaths. She looked like she could faint. Well it wasn't easy for her going up against his father like that. Probably took all the courage she could muster. Vincent was a dominating man. He was used to take everything from her in one go. Jack looked over at Elsa. She looked petrified, a deer in the headlights. Jack wondered what was going through her brain.

"I think I'll take Elsa home," the words flew out of his mouth but he knew it was the right thing to do. She seemed like this was all she could take for one day. Jack thought that Elsa couldn't handle anymore.

"Good idea," Pippa quickly said. "I'll get mum to bed. I think we've all had enough excitement for one day."

"I couldn't agree more little sis," Jack responded.

Jack and Elsa quickly left the house. Elsa seemed to follow Jack in some kind of trance. All this time, she hadn't said a single word. Once again, Jack wondered what was going through her mind. Once inside the car, they made their way back to Elsa's dorm room. Throughout the trip, Elsa didn't utter a single word.

"You okay?" Jack asked softly.

"Huh?" Elsa quickly snapped out of whatever tranced she was in. "What?" She turned to face her boyfriend. "Yes," she muttered. "I think so."

Jack wasn't so sure.

* * *

Elsa seemed to be on autopilot when she got back to her dorm room. She didn't even say hi to Honey and Gogo who were having their dinner. They had looked up at Elsa and tried to say hello to her but she just walked right pass them. She didn't even remember getting ready for bed or even getting into it. Before she was aware of it, she was lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling. The day's events flashed through her mind – blurring together. Elsa shut her eyes tightly. Elsa tried to force the events out of her mind but she couldn't. They swam through her mind – destroying her slowly from the inside out. Sweat dripped onto her pillow and sheets as she tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't get to sleep.

No matter what she tried, she couldn't. She continued to stare up at the ceiling. Minutes turned into hours. Soon the exhaustion of the night washed over her. Her eyes slowly started shutting. Vincent Frost soon morphed into Adgar Winters.

 _"Elsa! What have you done?"_

 _Her father's voice rang through the house. It seemed louder and angrier than Elsa ever thought it could get. Elsa, timidly, approached her father. He was holding in his left hand a bottle of beer and in his right, Elsa's school report. Elsa timidly approached the room in which her father could be found in – her hands were trembling. What was he going to say? What was he going to_ do _?_

 _"Elsa!" her father's voice boomed causing Elsa to cower as she scuttled towards him._

 _He scornfully looked down at her. Elsa cowered under his glare. He flashed her report in front of her face. The paper was waved in front of her face. She barely could make out anything on it._

 _"Yes….dad?" her voice was timid. The words could barely escape her lips and were soft as if they didn't want to come out._

 _"What is_ this _?" he demanded of her._

 _"Uh," Elsa didn't really know what to say. She didn't know what he was referring to. If it was something in the report, she couldn't pin down what it was. To her, everything seemed okay in it._

 _"Is that all you have to say?" he advanced on her. Elsa instinctively took a step backwards. When she did this, her father grabbed her shoulders with an iron grip. A pain radiated from that spot to the rest of her body. She let out a small gasp of pain. Elsa knew better not to struggle out of his grip – that would only make things worse._

 _"I'm sor-" Elsa couldn't even get two words out before she was interrupted by her father._

 _"Look at this," he snarled. He stuffed Elsa's report into her shaking hands._

 _Elsa gazed down at her report. By all accounts, it looked pretty good to her. Her grades looked decent enough and none of her teachers seemed not to have anything bad to say about her. In fact, they were all very positive. The comments filled her with a sense of joy that she didn't get very often. She was doing the extracurricular activities that he wanted her to do – sports, drama, arts and science. So what was her father talking about? She was very puzzled. It all seemed in order to her. All while she was looking at her report, her father was examining her reactions. He didn't seem too pleased with her reactions._

 _"That," he snarled. He seemed to have gotten to a point his patience had run thin. Her father pointed to one of her grades. Elsa looked down at her and her heart sank. She finally saw what her father was referring to. Next to his finger was her grade for art class. It was a 'B'. Elsa gulped. Her father only wanted her to get straight As and nothing less would suffice. Getting a B was practically treason._

 _"I'm sorry," the words tumbled out of her mouth. Elsa could almost feel tears coming to her eyes. Trying to please her father was so exhausting. Trying to get it all done took every ounce of strength she could muster. She wasn't surprised that something had given but she wished it wasn't something that he could easily see._

 _"Don't give me that bullshit," her father's voice was low but vicious. You could sense the danger coming. You could practically feel it in the air._

 _"Fath-" Elsa barely got the word out before her father's other hand was on her other shoulder. An intense pain shot through her system. The hands moved inwards and soon they were around her neck. The hands tightened around her air pipes. Elsa chocked as the air was cut off. Her legs gave way and the only reason she didn't collapse onto the floor was because her father kept her up – her knees were scraping along the floorboards._

 _"You wretched little girl," he said. "I give you everything and all I ask in return is a little respect and hard work! You can't even give me that!"_

 _Every word, the hands tightened. Spots appeared in front of her eyes. She could feel the oxygen draining from her body. She started to struggle against her father as she was desperate to breath._

 _"Elsa! Elsa!"_

 _Someone was yelling her name._

 _"Elsa!"_

Elsa bolted up – her hand clutching her neck. She was covered in sweat and her heart was beating ferociously. Panic was still coursing through her veins. Her whole body was shaking violently. It all felt so real – as if it was still happening to her.

"Elsa!" someone grabbed her hands and tried to keep her from panicking.

"What?" Elsa widely looked around as she tried to figure out what was going on. Her heart kept pounding. It felt it was going to burst from her chest. Elsa finally noticed that Astrid was in her room. She was sitting on Elsa's bed looking shocked. The first thought that came through her mind was why Astrid was in her room? Why wasn't she in her room? Elsa realised it must be quite late. "What's the time?" Elsa tried to calm herself. "What's happening?"

"It's about two o'clock in the morning," Astrid said. She was looking very concerned for her friend. "Elsa, you were shouting and screaming in your sleep again. What is going on? Are you okay?"

"Um," Elsa wasn't sure what to tell her. On one hand she could tell her the truth but on the other hand, she knew that she shouldn't. She wasn't quite ready to tell everyone else just yet. It was still quite painful to talk about. It had been so hard to tell Jack but she was glad she did as Jack knew what she was going through and could help her move on with her life., perhaps put it all in the past where it belongs. "Nightmares," Elsa settled on this. It was the truth but only a part of it.

"Nightmares?" Astrid looked like she didn't know what to think. Elsa knew that Astrid wasn't buying it. Elsa sighed. It looked like she may have to tell a little bit more to settle this otherwise Astrid would just keep asking questions and maybe even dig into her life. So maybe Elsa should just give her a little something to stop that.

"Yeah," Elsa fiddled with her sheets. "Look, something happened to me in the past. I still get nightmares about it."  
"Oh my god," Astrid gasped a little. "What kind of thing?"

"I'm not ready to talk about it. Could we just let me deal with this? I am trying to. I'm getting help."

"Like a shrink?" Astrid looked a little happy at this.

"Yeah," Elsa nodded. "Look could you not tell anyone about this? I would prefer it not to be breakfast gossip."

"I understand," Astrid truly looked it. She paused for a moment. "So was this event like a car crash or something?"

"Something like that," Elsa said.

Astrid paused for a moment. It looked like to Elsa that she was struggling to accept that this was all the information she was going to get. Astrid was a strong woman who, well, wouldn't accept no for an answer. Well, that was the case. Elsa wasn't sure if she could handle telling her everything just yet. Astrid was a great friend – one of the best she ever had. So who knows? Maybe one day. Astrid opened her mouth to say something. Elsa knew that she was going to press onwards. It was time to intervene.

"Night," Elsa suddenly said and rolled over to face the wall.

Astrid closed her mouth then opened it again. "Goodnight."

Astrid got up and headed over to the door. She seemed to accept the situation for what it was. Just as was at the door, Elsa called her back.

"Astrid?" she said quietly to the wall.

"Yeah?" Astrid's voice was soft.

"Thanks."

Astrid smiled. "You're welcome."

The next morning at breakfast, Elsa found Astrid, Tooth, Gogo and Honey all sitting around the breakfast table. Elsa caught Astrid's eye over a cup of coffee she was drinking. This little exchanged went unnoticed as they seemed to have other things on their mind.

"So," Tooth really dragged out the word. "How was last night meeting Jack's family?"

Elsa was glad that Astrid didn't have a chance to lure her away to discuss the previous night's events. She wished that the conversation didn't stem towards Jack as last night was a bit of a sore spot for her – not just what happened during when she was asleep but the entire night. Seeing Vincent, how he acted, just bought it all back for her. She could practically see her father standing in front of her whenever Vincent spoke. She hadn't had a nightmare in a while – a consequence of her going to therapy – but just seeing Vincent, the way he spoke, acted, it was just too much for her.

"It was good," Elsa said slowly. She had decided not to go into the whole seeing-Jack's-dad thing. Probably best to leave that. She knew that Vincent was a sore spot for Jack so it was probably best that if Jack wanted people to know about that, that he'd be the one to tell everyone.

"Good?" Astrid's eyes narrowed. Elsa had the most horrible feeling that she may have put two and two together.

"Yeah, good," there was a pause between the two words.

"You don't sound so sure," Astrid said.

"I'm sure," Elsa tried to sound a lot more confident this time around.

"Oh she's just nervous because she's not sure if Jack's family liked her," Tooth said brushing aside all concerns about Elsa.

"Yeah," Elsa nodded, latching onto the idea. "I just want them to like me."

"Which is completely logical," Honey said. "I'm sure they loved you."

"I hope so," Elsa said, this was true. To be accepted by Jack's family was a dream come true. She loved Jack so much and she wanted to be a member of his family. She didn't have a proper family growing up, she thought she might find one in Jack's family. They seemed so perfect to her – nice and they know all about her and don't judge her because they too have gone through the same thing as her.

Elsa found herself walking to her job about twenty minutes later. Thankfully the talk at breakfast didn't last too long and was only concerned with what had happened at dinner. Elsa had given in and discussed what they wanted to talk about. She, of course, skipped the part about Jack's dad and only talked about the dinner which seemed to satisfy all of them – well maybe not all of them. Astrid kept giving her funny looks all throughout the conversation. Elsa did have a feeling that Astrid may have connected Elsa's bad dream and what had happened last night. Elsa hoped not. That was not something she wanted to talk about – not one single bit.

"Going somewhere?" The voice sounded ice cold and it sent shivers down her spine. She knew who that voice belonged too. Elsa turned, very slowly, on her heels. Sitting on a ledge, one leg laid across it while one dangled down and his head resting on his palm while his knee dug into his leg, next to her was Vincent Frost. Elsa gulped. Fear dripped into her veins as her eyes fell upon him. What was he doing here? Had he been here waiting for her? Or had he been simply been following her? That thought filled her with dread. He must have been. Vincent hopped off the ledge and towered over her. Elsa eyes slowly found their way into his. She often felt like this. Whenever she looked into her father's eyes, the same feeling of dread and despair coursed through her. Vincent seemed to pick up on this because a twisted grin came over his face.

"Well, well, well," he said slowly, "so this is Jacky's girl." He paused for a moment as if he was allowing time for Elsa to respond but Elsa didn't speak. She didn't do anything. She just stared up at Jack's father with a look of horror slowing creeping into her features. "So, Elsa isn't it?" He didn't even wait for Elsa to respond, he just plunged on. "So, my dear Elsa word on the street is that you and Jack have gotten quite close, excellent."

Elsa knew that this wasn't good. Vincent pulled out of his pocket a newspaper article. Elsa's heart sank when she stared at it. She recognised the paper. It was the Arendelle Gazette. Elsa gulped. What was he doing with that…unless…a thought had crossed her mind and it wasn't a good one. Vincent smirked as the look of horror intensified on her face. He opened the article to reveal what was written on the front page.

'ADGAR WINTERS SHOT, DAUGHTER ARRESTED' Elsa read. There was a picture of both of them side by side under the headline. She shivered slightly. It was the headline from the day after she had killed her father. How did Vincent find this? Or, more importantly, know to look for it? Her fists clenched. She knew what he was going to do. It didn't take a genius to work out what his angle was going to be.

"I see you recognise the headline," Vincent said after a few long minutes. He had been smirking at Elsa squirming as she read the headline. Elsa's hands clenched even hard.

"What do you want?" Elsa's voice quivered on every word.

"Now what do you think Jacky would say about this when he finds out?" Vincent's voice was full of mockery.

"Are you going to tell him?" Elsa didn't want Jack to know and she knew that Vincent knew this. If Jack found out, it would taint the way he looked at her. She couldn't bear it if he looked at her in that way.

"Not if you do a little thing for me," Vincent still spoke in that same mocking tone.

Elsa could have rolled her eyes. Great, she thought, this is exactly what she expected from a man like this; blackmail. This was so fucking perfect.

"And that is?"

* * *

Astrid was sitting at the kitchen table looking at random sites on her laptop. She was alone in her the dorm room. Her roommates had all gone off. Honey had gone off with Tadshi – God only knew where – and Gogo was in the robotics lab. She had some kind of epiphany during an episode of Doctor Who she had been watching and rushed out of the dorm room. Astrid didn't understand this but she went with it. All she remembered was Gogo muttering about something. She had hoped to spend the day with Hiccup but he was out with some friends and so Astrid decided to waste the day away with useless activities.

She sighed as she drank some of the coffee in front of her. There was something that was bothering her though. It wasn't the coffee or the site that she was on. It was Elsa. Elsa had woken up in the middle of the night experiencing what Astrid had deduced was a PTSD dream. She had woken up clutching her neck and to Astrid that could mean only one thing; Elsa had dreamt someone strangling her. That was the only thing that made any sense to Astrid. However, if it was true, then who – and more importantly, why? Was Elsa hiding some deep dark secret? Well if she was, that wouldn't come as a real shock to Astrid. Astrid was convinced that she was. Elsa's strange behaviour from the day Astrid had met her told her that.

Astrid sat up a bit straighter in her chair. She logged onto Facebook and searched for Elsa. Astrid hadn't yet added her on Facebook. Maybe there was something in her feed that would tell Astrid something. She didn't know a lot about Elsa – her past, her family, her friends were all a mystery to her. Facebook loaded up the page for all the Elsa Winters in the world. There were a number but nothing matched Elsa. Astrid groaned as she scrolled through the names. Did Elsa not have a Facebook account? Why? That seemed so weird to Astrid. She had never met someone who didn't. However, now that she thought about it, maybe it wasn't so strange. Plenty of people didn't have one. Astrid did have one last idea. She could Google Elsa. She was about to enter the words into Google when Hiccup entered the dorm room. Astrid grinned at him when he entered the room.

"Hello," she said as she closed her laptop. Hiccup leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the lips when he sat down next to her. "What happened to hanging with friends?"

"Work, sick and other attachments," Hiccup said which made Astrid groan. "Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing," Astrid said.

Hiccup and Astrid soon launched into a conversation which drove any more thoughts on Elsa out of Astrid's head.

* * *

"What do you want?" Elsa asked. Vincent hadn't given her an answer. It seemed like to her that he was biding his time; he wanted to enjoy every second of this.

"I think you know what I want," Vincent said each word very slowly. He waited for Elsa to respond but when she didn't, he continued on. "I want you to talk to Jacky boy." Elsa could have gaped at him. Her head started to race. _Talk to Jack_? Vincent noticed the horrified look on Elsa's face. He smirked again. "Yes. I want you to chat to my son. I want you to get him to give me a second chance. Once he does, I'm sure Pippa and Caroline will follow suit."

Elsa wasn't sure that she heard him right. Did he really believe he could waltz back into their lives?

"No," Elsa said firmly. "You are a horrible man. You don't deserve a second chance. Get the fuck away from me and leave Jack, Pippa and Caroline alone."

Elsa made a move to move away from Vincent but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Suddenly in Elsa's mind, Vincent flashed into the form of her father. Elsa was paralysed in fear. This was an all too familiar situation to her. Elsa had to blink several times to get rid of it. Adgar Winters soon turned back into Vincent Frost. Vincent looked angry but then forced himself to stay calm.. Elsa could see it in the expression upon his face. He looked directly at her before speaking.

"Now," Vincent said, "you need to tell them that I have changed. Prison taught me what is important in my life and it's them." Elsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She doubted this was true. This was just an excuse. He wanted them back to beat the crap out of them again. He wanted his old life back. Vincent seemed to notice that Elsa wasn't buying it. He pulled out the newspaper article again. Elsa looked at it with fear. "If you don't, remember, I _will_ tell Jack. I _will_ tell Caroline. I _will_ tell Pippa. _I will tell everyone you know_. So, what would you prefer to do? Have one little conversation with my son and get him to forgive me or I ruin your life. I don't think Jack or your little friends will take too kindly to the knowledge that a murderer is in their mist. You have seventy two hours."

With that, Vincent released her arm and walked off leaving Elsa confused. What was she going to do?

* * *

Anna walked down a street that lead to the restaurant that she was meeting Kristoff at. She still wasn't at one hundred percent on this but she decided to go for it anyway. Her family and friends were right; Kristoff was a nice and decent guy. In fact, she did have feelings for him. She didn't want to admit it but she did. She thought that after Hans, she didn't want to put herself back out there. But why should she let Hans continue to torment her? He shouldn't be an obstacle for her. He should remain where is he; in the past.

Anna turned a corner and saw the restaurant coming into view. She stopped when she saw it. She took in a deep breath and continued onwards. A waiter at the restaurant asked for her name. She told him that it was under Kristoff and he smiled at her and lead her to her table. Anna soon caught site of Kristoff was sitting at the table. He was dressed in a nice suit which made Anna smile. He was looking very nervous as he sat there. Anna could tell that he had been sweating for a little bit but she didn't care. That just made him even cuter. If he wasn't nervous, Anna would be a little suspicious. Hans hadn't been which made this a nice turn of events. Anna watched as Kristoff checked his reflection in a spoon and made sure that his hair was okay. Anna giggled. She guessed she better put him out of his misery. Anna walked towards him. Kristoff quickly noticed her and nearly fell over in his eagerness to get to Anna before she walked over to him.

"Anna," Kristoff said with a huge smile coming over his face. He gaped at her. "Wow, you look incredible."

Anna giggled again. She was wearing a multi coloured floral patterned dress that came down to her knees. She was wearing blue high heels which matched the colours of her dress. She was also wearing a silver pendent necklace and some silver bangles to match.

"Thanks," Anna said.

"Milady," Kristoff said as he pulled back Anna's chair.

"What a gentleman," Anna said as she sat down and Kristoff pushed her chair in.

He walked around back to his chair and sat down. Anna couldn't help but stare at him. Seeing him here, in this situation, calmed her nerves. Kristoff pulled open his menu and didn't notice Anna staring which made Anna glad.

"I'm thinking about the fish," Kristoff mumbled. "What do you think?"

"Um," Anna quickly opened her menu and looked at it. "How about the lobster?"

"Yeah that sounds nice."

The waiter came over a couple of minutes later and took their order. During the time it took for the meal to arrive, Anna and Kristoff fell silent. Anna fiddled with her water. What was she going to say to him? Normally she and Kristoff could chat for hours at the time but they had never been in this situation before. On a date and simply hanging out were two different things. The game has changed. Was Anna ready for it?

* * *

Elsa returned back to her dorm room after hours of walking around with her head still spinning from earlier. Vincent Frost had thrown a wrench into her life. What was she going to do? If she spoke to Jack she would lose any respect for herself, Jack would hate her and she would wind up alone again. She could never help a man like him get back into his cycle of abuse. However, if she didn't talk to Jack, Vincent would tell Jack and her friends the truth and she would wind up alone anyway. It was a lose/lose situation. Elsa could have banged her head against the wall. She was in an impossible situation and she had no idea what to do about it. Either way she was going to lose a person that has meant the world to her and was the only person she ever connected with. Elsa could have cried.

"Elsa?" Astrid's voice wrenched Elsa back to reality.

"Yes?" Elsa said.

"Can we talk?" Astrid's voice wasn't harsh. It was gentle. Elsa hesitated. She guessed what Astrid wanted to talk about and Elsa wasn't sure if she wanted to discuss that.

"I guess," Elsa said tentatively.

"Look Elsa, I am worried about you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Elsa tried to sound as convincing as possible but it didn't convince Astrid. Astrid frowned at her and folded her arms. Elsa felt guilty for lying to her which she was sure was the objective. "Okay, truth be told, no. I am dealing with stuff but _I am_ dealing with stuff. So just drop this – now."

Astrid tried to protest but Elsa just walked off. She ignored all protests coming from Astrid and didn't given her another look. She opened the door to her bedroom and collapsed – face first – onto her bed. Tears leaked out of her eyes and onto her duvet. Now Astrid was poking around in her life. Great, this was just great. First, she has severe PTSD and depression from years of horrible abuse. Then she gets blackmailed by her boyfriend's psycho father. Now, she has people messing about in her life and potentially could unravel everything that she had tried to fix. Could this life get any better? Oh wait it did. She's going to lose the one person who understood her.

She could so easily give up right now.

* * *

Anna was chewing nervously on her lobster while watching Kristoff. They had some light conversation during their meal but nothing long lasting. Anna caught Kristoff's eye and he grinned at her over his meal. That was enough to send the butterflies in Anna's stomach fluttering all over the place. After dinner, desert was served. Anna, true to her love for chocolate, ordered the chocolate fudge pudding which sent Anna's taste buds on a trip to heaven. Kristoff ordered a crème brulee which did look quite tasty. Kristoff offered Anna a little bite which she enthusiastically accepted. Anna's eyes did not deceive her. It did taste good.

After having desert, Kristoff took Anna on a night-time stroll around Arendelle. Anna breathed in the fresh air. It filled her lungs with cold, rejuvenating air. It refreshed her senses and brought new energy to her. It was quite a pleasant evening. The stars were sparkling down at the pair of them as they set off down the streets of Arendelle.

"I like stars," Kristoff suddenly said, his head was crooked towards the heavens. "We are basically looking into the past whenever we look at them. It's taken millions of years for the light from the stars to reach us. During the time, human kind has begun, gone from hunting and gathering, building the pyramids to sending a robot to Mars. In the meantime, what has happened to that star? Is it still glowing? Or has it collapsed into dark hole and consumed everything around it? It's all simply fascinating."

Anna gripped Kristoff's arm tighter with a grin on her face. "I know, space is simply fascinating. What is out there for us to discover? Planets that have species starting to discover themselves? The wonders of the universe? Maybe the answer to life itself? Who knows really?"

"Who knows?" Kristoff grinned down at her and again, Anna felt the same butterflies from before. "So, what marvels await Anna in her universe?"

Anna giggled. "I would like to be a nurse one day. Healing the broken and sick. That kind of thing."

"How marvellous," Kristoff grinned once again. Anna wished he would stop doing that. It caused her to go all giddy every time and lose all brain activity.

"What about you?" Anna asked. "Is ice going to be your future?"

"Yes," Kristoff said after a few moments. "Ice is my life. The way it shines, sparkles, it creates wonder in every atom."

"How marvellous," Anna echoed Kristoff's words which made Kristoff blush.

The conversation didn't die for one moment after that. The conversation covered all kinds of topics – family, friends, school, politics. They found a bench in the middle of Arendelle Park. They watched as the world passed by them – couples walking pass them, people walking their pets, cars driving past them. Anna enjoyed watching the world go by. It felt nice to see people getting on with their lives.

Anna felt Kristoff arm slowly go around her shoulders. She could giggle again. She did a sideways glance at him. He looked very nervous again. Anna decided to make it easier for him. She snuck closer to him and placed her hand in his hand. This just made Kristoff even more nervous which made Anna giggled again.

"So," Anna said, leaning into Kristoff, "this really is a nice night."

"So is," Kristoff looked a little more relaxed now. He turned to look at her and Anna caught his gaze. "I just want to say Anna, that I really do like you – a lot actually."

"I like you too," Anna smiled at him.

Kristoff leaned in and kissed Anna on the lips. Anna responded by wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in while kissing him back. They continued to kiss for a few minutes. When they broke apart, they both grinned at each other.

"Well," Anna said. "That was worth the wait."

Anna got back to her house at about half past eleven. Anna and Kristoff seemed to walk the evening away. It was past curfew before Anna was even aware that curfew had crept up on them. Anna had rushed home so that her aunt and uncle wouldn't be crossed at her. Well, Anna thought as she paused outside the gate to her aunt and uncle's house, she was out with Kristoff – a boy who her relatives liked a lot – so she would be doubtful that they would actually be too crossed. They knew that Kristoff was a boy that they could trust with their niece. Or maybe they would be angry because they had said that curfew was at ten and it was getting close midnight now.

Anna pushed open the gate and it opened with creaking sound. Anna shushed at it. Her footsteps lead her to the door. She slowly pushed it open and crept into the hallway. Her eyes did a quick scan of the area. So far, so good. Maybe her aunt and uncle had gone to bed after all thinking that Anna would be back in time? Anna didn't take one step into the kitchen before the light was flicked on. Anna turned around, oh so slowly, and saw her aunt, uncle and cousin all sitting – in their pyjamas – at the kitchen table. They all seemed to have stayed up waiting for her. Busted, Anna thought. She grinned, rather guiltily, at them.

"Hello," Anna said. "How was your evening?"

"Our evening?" her cousin looked quite amused. "How about _yours_? Must have been quite a bash if you got back _this_ late."

"Well," Anna dragged out the word.

"Do tell us!" the outburst from Anna's aunt was quite a shock to Anna. She didn't realise that her aunt had been this invested in Anna's date with Kristoff.

"Please tell us before your aunt goes mad," Anna's Uncle Klaus said in a tired voice but Anna could tell from the sparkle in his eyes that he was quite intrigued too.

Anna took in a deep breath in before she told them all – in a dreamy tone – about her date with Kristoff. She told them all about the dinner and the stroll through Arendelle. Her heart didn't stop racing throughout the entire evening – still hasn't. Her family grinned at her the entire way through her story which Anna took as a good sign that they approved of the date. Anna thought the date went very well. It certainly confirmed her feelings for the guy.

"So overall, a success?" Anna's cousin Astrid said.

"I do believe so," Anna smiled.

"Kristoff is a sweet boy," Aunt Greta said. "So glad that the date went well." She paused for a moment. "Well, that still doesn't excuse you being late, young lady." Anna's heart stopped dead. Guess she had been wrong about them letting her slide this one time. Aunt Greta's face split into two which caused Anna to be confused. "Only joking, you were with Kristoff. We trust the boy. Goodnight."

Anna and her cousin watched her and Uncle Klaus go up to bed. As soon as they were out of sight, Anna's cousin smirked at her. Anna looked at her with a clueless expression.

"So," Astrid said. "What aren't you saying?"

"What do you mean?" Anna had left out the kiss when she was describing the date. She didn't think that her aunt and uncle should hear about all the fun she got up to whole she was on her date.

"I know you left out something. Was it a kiss by any chance?"

Anna really hated the way her cousin was smirking at her. How did she figure it out? Well Astrid did have a sixth sense about this kind of thing.

"Okay fine," Anna sighed. "We did kiss."

"I knew it!" Astrid fist pumped the air which made Anna roll her eyes.

"I'm going to bed," Anna said.

"I knew it!" Astrid was still gloating while Anna headed up the stairs to her bed.

* * *

Elsa hadn't moved from her bed for what felt like the last twenty four hours. She had finally decided on what she should do. It would cost her her soul and maybe her relationship – well definitely her relationship – but she couldn't handle if Jack and everyone else had found the truth about her. Astrid was already suspicious. She was reminded of her sister. Anna was a bit pushy at times too – trying to worm her way into her life whenever she could. Elsa could feel tears come to her eyes. No, she said to herself. No tears. Not this time. She wrenched herself from her bed and decided to get what she needed to get done over with. No point in dragging it out for all to see. Elsa sighed again. Why must every time she seems to have things sorted this kind of thing always happens?

Elsa got changed – she hadn't changed in all that time she had been lying on the bed – and checked her phone. There was like twenty missed texts from Jack and about five missed phone calls. She wished she didn't have to avoid him but she had to. She couldn't bear to look at him while she attempted to sort this out. Elsa eventually emerged from her bedroom. She found her dorm mates having some kind of meal at the table. They stopped eating when Elsa came into view. They suddenly looked concerned.

"Are you okay Elsa?" Honey asked.

"Did you want something to eat?" Gogo suggested.

"Did something happen the other night?" Astrid questioned.

Elsa ignored all three of them and left the dorm room. It was time for her to find Jack. She managed to find him in his dorm room. Bunnymund had let her in and had tried to ask if she was okay – she certainly didn't look it – and she ignored him. She didn't want to discuss her feelings with anyone but Jack. Jack was really the only who could understand her. However, this was one conversation that she may have to have with herself.

Jack looked relieved when he saw her. "Elsa, I wondered if you were okay."

"Sorry," Elsa said. "It's just that seeing your dad, brought back some bad memories for me. I just needed time to adjust."

"Ah," Jack looked relieved. "I was scared that you were avoiding me."

"No," Elsa was only partly lying. "Why would I avoid you?"

"I thought that maybe mum or Pippa had scared you off."

Elsa laughed. "No."

"Good," Jack smiled, "because mum has invited us to game night. I know it's last minute but she wanted to know if you could come."

Elsa opened her mouth to say no. She didn't want to break Jack's heart in front of his entire family. However the word 'yes' came out of her mouth before she could even stop herself. Jack looked pleased.

"Awesome, that is simply awesome!" Jack said. "Game night is tomorrow." Suddenly Jack's phone went off. Jack checked his phone. "Sorry, gotta run. Work emergency." Jack gave her a swift kiss and hurried out. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. This way she could think about what she needed to say.

Elsa sighed. She turned on her heels and left the dorm room. She didn't know where her feet were taking her. All she knew was that her feet were taking her on a walk. Well a walk was a good idea. It would calm her until she saw Jack at game night – perhaps even give her time to muster up courage as well and maybe get some ideas into her head about what she should say. Elsa soon found herself in a random park. There was one about a ten minute walk from university. She always enjoyed coming here. It helped her think. She plunked herself on a park bench and cried into her hands. Well she had about twenty four hours before it was all over. She really had no choice. She simply could not have her past revealed. It was just too damaging.

"Dry those tears Elsa, you will need to look your best when you talk to Jack," came a familiar voice.

Elsa froze. She knew who that voice belonged to and she could feel her heart sinking further and further with each word. Elsa turned around and sure enough, sitting with a smug expression, was Vincent Frost. Elsa felt a hatred she had only felt for one other person fill her insides. She fought every instinct to hit him squarely in the face or a good kick in the groin. It would be quite satisfying if she could get away with that.

"How did you find me?" Elsa demanded. Then a thought struck her. "Have you been following me?"

"Well, I need to make sure that you were keeping to our deal."

Deal? More like blackmail.

"What do you want _this_ time?" Elsa snarled.

"Uh, uh, uh," Vincent wagged his finger in a patronising fashion at her. "No need for that tone. As I said before, I am simply checking to see how it's going with your plan to tell Jack to give his dear old father a second chance. I gave you seventy two hours. Twenty five of those hours are up. The clock is ticking, tick tock, tick tock."

Elsa wished she could tell him to shut the fuck up but she didn't want to anger him. She just wanted him to come and go so he could leave her be.

"I'm working on it," Elsa said through clenched teeth.

"Excellent, when are you planning on doing it?"

"Tomorrow, Caroline has invited me to game night."

"Ah," Vincent looked pleased. "Excellent. Just make sure you do it."

With that, he left leaving a very unhappy Elsa. She sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot. What it would be to have a happy life. She wished she could have a life like what Anna had or maybe Rapunzel or Merida's life. That would be preferable to what she had. In fact, anything would be better to what she had.

Elsa's phone buzzed. It was Jack.

 _Hey Elsa, that work emergency was a joke, it took me five seconds to sort it. Anyway, wanna go grab some coffee? I could use some time off._

Elsa didn't know what to say to him. She didn't think she could face him just yet. It was just too tough. She could have cried as she wrote a reply to him.

 _Sorry Jack, can't. Busy._

After she sent the text, she turned off her phone. She didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. She hated doing this to him but she had no choice. She lay down on the bench and stared into the distance without really seeing what was in front of her. Maybe she should start imagining life without Jack in it. How was she going to break this to him? Maybe she should come out and say it? She supposed that was the best strategy. It would certainly get it over and done with.

This was going to be hell.

* * *

Jack picked Elsa up the next day. He had been worried about her. Her behaviour over the last couple of days had been strange. Ever since his father had shown up, this behaviour had started. Well, he could have guessed that. She had the same past as him so seeing him brought back the same kind of horrible memories coming to the surface. It was a horrifying experience for him just as it was for her. But that still didn't explain why she was avoiding him.

Despite what she earlier, he knew she was. Why though? Could it be that he reminded her of his father who in turn reminded her of her own father therefore bring up all the horrible memories of her past? Well, if that was the case, then he just needs to talk this over with her. He would simply just talk to her before game night started. There was always time before game night. It took Pippa forever to find the right games that were needed even though they were always put away in the same spot. Hopefully they can get it all sorted out before things kicked off and they can enjoy the games together with everything on the table. Throughout the car journey to Jack's house, they were both very quiet. Jack looked over at his girlfriend. She was staring out the window of the car. She seemed to be deep in thought. Was she thinking about? Well, maybe Jack was about to find out.

They soon pulled up to Jack's house. It took Elsa a moment to realise that they were there. Whatever she was thinking about, it seemed to pull her away from reality. Jack opened the car door for Elsa and led her to the door. Caroline let them with the biggest smile on her face. She couldn't stop making a fuss over Elsa as they clambered into the house.

"Now we have popcorn, pretzels, drinks and we will order pizza in about an hour," Caroline said. "Help yourself to everything."

"Where's Pippa?" Jack said.

"Setting up Pictionary," Caroline replied. "She'll be ready in ten."

Jack felt a gentle tugging on his sleeve. Jack looked down to see Elsa tugging at his jacket.

"Can we talk?" Elsa asked him. It looked like she was about to cry. Jack was suddenly very concerned. Was she going to tell him what was wrong? He hoped so. He wanted to help her if she was in trouble.

"Sure," Jack nodded.

"Is there somewhere private where we can talk?"

"We could go into my room," Jack pretended to sound like it was something scandalous.

"Sure," Elsa said.

Jack led her up the flight of stairs and they entered his room. His room had a roomy double bed complete with a blue duvet set, a set of drawers that were standing next to an oak wardrobe. Many posters lined Jack's walls. These ranged from maps of the world to movie posters. There were several shoes scattered over the floor. Jack's bed was messily made. The pillows were disarranged as if they were thrown into the bed in a random order. Jack looked a little sheepish. His room wasn't as clean or tidy as Elsa's room. Jack watched as Elsa took everything in. She seemed to smile at the pictures on Jack's bedside table. On his bedside table were pictures of his family and friends. He really liked the picture of him and Pippa that was taken a few years ago. She seemed to be taking her time in saying what she needed to say.

"So," Jack said after several long minutes of silence. He dug his hands into his pockets. "What did you want to say to me?" Words flew out of Elsa's mouth so fast that Jack had a hard time keeping up with what she was saying. "Could you say it slower? Please?"

"I think you should talk to your father," Elsa words were so quiet but Jack heard every single word.

"What?" Jack felt a rage burn inside of him. Did Elsa seriously ask him to go chat to his father?

"He says he's changed and I think you should give him a second chance," Elsa was trembling. She looked terrified.

"Wait, he said what?" Jack paused after that final word. His mind was starting to tick. If Elsa had talked to his father, what else did he say? He looked back at her terrified face and it all clicked. She wasn't doing this because she believed his father had changed. She was doing this because she had to. "Elsa, what did he say to you?"

"Just that he changed," every word trembled.

Jack knew that Elsa would never willingly help a monster like his father. There is something more to this story. There could only be one thing that it could be.

"Elsa, if he is blackmailing you, I can help. I can help you fix whatever needs fixing."

"You can't fix this," tears were leaking out of her eyes.

"Elsa, what is _this_?" Jack hated seeing Elsa like this. She looked so vulnerable and upset. He was starting to get more and more concerned. He hated the way his voice was sounding. He was starting to sound a bit like his father. However one thought still stuck in his head; what was this all about?

"If I tell you the truth, you will hate me till the end of days."

Jack took her hand. "I could never hate you."

"Okay, fine," Elsa looked like she was just throwing everything to the wind. "Your dad found out something about me – about my past – and he's threatening to expose it."

"So he told you that if you didn't get me to make things right, he would tell everyone," everyone was falling into place for Jack now. His father found out something "incriminating" – in Elsa's mind – about her and he is using it against her. Blackmail was something his father did know best.

"Yes," Elsa collapsed onto Jack's bed and buried her head into her hands. Jack sat next to her and pulled her into him. Elsa started to cry on his shoulder.

"Elsa, whatever it is, I'm sure it's not as bad as you imagine."

Elsa dried her tears with her sleeve. "It is."

"Then what is it?"

"You know how my father was a real bastard?"

"Yeah," Jack wondered where Elsa was going with this. She didn't often bring up her father. Jack didn't blame her. He was – as Elsa said – a real fucking bastard.

"You know how he died?"

"Yeah," Jack repeated.

"You know he got shot, well I never told you how he got shot," Elsa took in a deep breath. It looked like she was trying to work up the nerve to tell him the truth. "One night, my father was so angry – angrier than I have ever seen him. I thought he was going to kill me. In fact I am sure he was going to." Elsa collapsed into tears after that. Jack realised what she was going to tell him. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

"You were the one who shot him," Jack said quietly. As Elsa had mentioned, he remembered the conversation about this.

"Yes," Elsa said in barely in a whisper. "I knew where he kept his gun. I knew how to unlock the safe."

Jack felt a weird, odd feeling getting stronger and stronger with each word that is said. So, this was the final piece to the puzzle that was Elsa's past. She had killed her father – in self-defence though. Well, how did he think about that? Jack never liked killing. However, this was a different situation. Elsa had been fearful of her life plus Jack was never one to feel sorry for people like their father. Still, he was shocked.

"Elsa," Jack knew what was going through her head. She was scared that he was going to turn against her for knowing this. "It was self-defence. I can understand that. Besides, you know all the times I wished I could have shot my own dad? We have bastards for fathers. You are lucky that yours is dead."

"So you're not angry?" Elsa looked at him through her teary eyes. "I would have thought you would be shocked."

"I am, but like you said, it was to protect yourself. People do things that they would never do normally in situations like this."

Elsa looked like she was going to respond but then they heard a scream coming from downstairs.

"That's Pippa," Jack looked anxious.

He and Elsa raced downstairs. When they entered the kitchen, Elsa gasped while Jack snarled. His father was standing in the very room. What was he doing here? His mother was cowering at the sink while Pippa was standing at the other door that led to the kitchen. There was broken glass at her feet. Jack guessed that she must have dropped something – maybe a glass – in her shock.

"Ah, Jack and Elsa have come to join the party," Vincent said. "How nice."

"What are you doing here?" Jack snarled.

"Well Elsa mentioned that it was family game night and I wanted to join. I am quite good at guessing at Pictionary as I'm sure you all will remember."

"You told him what?" Pippa turned to Elsa. Her expression looked quite shocked.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said. "He cornered me. He made me tell him."

"Of course he did," Pippa glared at her father. "Using an innocent girl to get at us. How low can you go?"

"I wouldn't say that," Vincent wagged his finger at his daughter. "More as a friendly get together."

"I doubt it was friendly," Jack said. "Now I already know what you want and you will never get it, so get out!"

"Well, it appears as if Elsa told you of our little arrangement. Good. Good. Well then did she happen to mention her little secret past?"

"Yes," Jack snapped. "Your little game is over. Now either get out or I call the cops."

"No," Vincent snapped back. "I want to stay. I have changed. I wish to show you."

"You haven't changed," Jack's mother suddenly spoke up. "You heard Jack."

"Now, now Jitterbug," Vincent said. "Play nice."

Jack knew instantly when Vincent had used his old nickname for her that he had stepped over a line. Only special people – such as her children, her sister, her best friend and her parents – were allowed to use that name. Jack's mother fumed. He could practically see the smoke coming out of her nostrils.

"Don't you dare call me that," Jack's mother looked so angry. Her voice was full of confidence and rage. It was scary and dominating. "Now get out and never darken our doorstep ever again."

"This is my family Caroline," Vincent yelled every word. Vincent's true self was emerging now. Jack knew it would sooner or later. Vincent was getting just as angry as his ex-wife. " _My_ family." Vincent pointed at him. "Not _yours_. I have every right to be here. I have every right to know my children."

"You lost that right when you used us for a punching bag," Jack's mother screamed back at him.

"They needed to be put in their place Caroline," Vincent advanced on her. "They need to be taught the rules."

"You don't teach them that by abuse!"

"It wasn't abuse!" Vincent's anger levels were soaring through the roof. "It was parenting!"

"It was!"

"That's it, I'm calling the cops," Pippa interjected.

Pippa made for the phone but something stopped her.

"Don't," Vincent suddenly shouted. Everyone stopped dead. Jack couldn't take his eyes off what was in his hands. In them was a gun and it was pointed at Pippa. All three girls gasped. Jack could have fainted. Pippa quickly cowered away from the phone that was mere inches from her fingers. "Now," Vincent said in a dangerous whisper. "This is what is going to do. We will carry on being one happy family like we were before. No cops. Just us. Is that clear?"

"We were a happy family until you turned up," Jack said, his fingers curling into fists. "Why don't you just get out?"

"What did you say to me boy?" Vincent practically spat in his face. His rage was taking over.

"I told you to get out," Jack could feel Vincent's dirty, disgusting breath on his face.

"You don't talk to me like that," Vincent hand went across Jack's face. Jack fell to the floor while the girls all gasped again. A rage started to flow inside of him. Vincent started to breath heavily. He had finally lost all control.

Jack didn't even bother to wait for Vincent to reply. Jack took his moment. He had to act now while Vincent was caught off guard. Jack lunged at his father. His father – momentarily confused – fought back. Vincent pushed Jack back and Jack stumbled. Vincent pointed the gun at him but Jack wasn't scared. He grabbed it and forced it up. His father tried to fight against his son but rage was empowering Jack.

Jack was struggling now with trying to get the gun away from his father. His father was tough. Vincent's foot struck Jack in the stomach and Jack doubled over. Jack's father whacked him over the head with the hand that was carrying the gun. The gun forced Jack to the ground once again. Jack quickly got to his feet and managed to land a punch on his father. This caused him to stumble backwards. Jack grabbed the gun. Vincent grabbed the gun too. There was another struggle.

The gun went off.

Twice.

Jack released the gun. Vincent did too. The gun clattered to the floor. Jack looked at his father. He saw his father's eyes bulge. Vincent then collapsed onto the floor. Blood was pouring out of a hole in his chest. Blood poured onto the floorboards and all around Vincent. Vincent gaped and gasped for air.

"Jack, m'boy," Vincent struggled with each world. He grabbed Jack's collar and pulled him in closer so that he could hear every word. "Save me."

Jack didn't know what he should do. Should he call for help? Or let him die? This was the monster of his nightmares but could Jack just do nothing? Vincent's grip soon loosened and Vincent's arm fell to the floor before he could even make a decision. He stopped talking. He even stopped breathing. Jack breathed heavily as he bent down to check his father. He needed to make sure. He checked his pulse. Vincent was gone.

Jack could have celebrated this but he thought it was better that he called the cops. Get this whole mess sorted out.

"Jack!" Elsa's voice suddenly snapped through the air. Her voice sounded distressed. Jack turned around and saw Elsa and his mother kneeling over Pippa. She was on the floor and her eyes were closed.

Jack's heart stopped. Blood was also coming out of her. Elsa was holding a cloth to a wound in her shoulder while his mother was hurriedly dialled 911.

"Is she okay?" Jack quickly dropped to his knees too.

"It looks like she will be," Elsa said. "The bullet went straight through and just pierced her shoulder. I don't know if it's life threatening or not. But she needs a doctor."

At that moment, Jack's mother got off the phone.

"An ambulance is on their way now," she said. "So are the cops."

"As they should," Elsa said.

"What's happening?" Pippa had suddenly stirred. Her eyes slowly opened.

"Just rest," Jack said. "You were shot but help is on the way. Stay calm."

Jack said these last words to himself more than his sister. His hands were trembling. His voice was shaky. He was terrified. He could lose his sister. He couldn't handle that. If something was to happen to his sister, he had no idea what he would do.

* * *

When Elsa looked back on this night, it was all a blur to her. The flashing sirens, the screams from Caroline and the guns shots. Oh the gun shots. They caused something to rise within Elsa. That was a memory. A horrible memory. The memory of when her father was shot – by her.

When Pippa was shot, she just reacted. She leapt into action. It was just impulse. But now, after everything seemed to be sorted, she froze. The memory was paralysing her. Jack had led her outside while the police dealt with things inside. The last thing that Elsa remembered before getting in Jack's car to go to the hospital was Vincent's body being lead out in a body bag. Elsa felt no emotion when she saw that. He had gotten what had been coming to him. That she was sure of.

When they got to the hospital, Caroline had told them that Pippa had gone into surgery. She had said that the doctors were optimistic that Pippa was going to be fine. Police had wanted to talk to them but Caroline refused to discuss anything until Pippa was fine. They didn't have to wait very long. While they were waiting, Elsa sat on one of the seats that were for people waiting to hear about their loved ones. Jack was pacing. Caroline was in the seat next to her. She was calling people – relatives, Elsa thought. Elsa couldn't manage to do anything but nothing.

She was still in shock from the whole ordeal. The horrible memory was still burning within her. It was stopping her from doing anything. Jack quickly noticed this and hurried over to her. Caroline quickly became distracted by a phone call from Jack and Pippa's grandmother – well it sounded like that to Elsa – so when Jack came to talk to her, she didn't hear a single word of it.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked her.

Elsa paused for a moment. "No, the whole thing just reminds me of what happened to my father. It just bought up a lot of bad memories."

"Understandable," Jack took her hand and smiled at her.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked him.

Jack took a moment before he spoke. "Yes, I think so. I never loved my father. He was a horrid man who got what was coming to him. I think I can put this behind me and move on with my life."

The minutes ticked by when finally the doctor came out and called their name. Pippa was alright. Elsa felt relief course through her veins. Pippa was okay. She was fine. Elsa kept repeating that to herself as they were led up to Pippa's room. They entered the room and found Pippa awake and sitting up in her bed. She had her arm in a sling and looked quite groggy. The doctor had informed them that the anaesthetic was wearing off. The doctor was quite adamant on not upsetting Pippa while she was trying to recover. They all nodded and the doctor let them all in – despite Elsa not being family (Elsa had no idea how she managed to skate on by).

Pippa looked pleased to see the three of them in the doorway. Caroline instantly went straight to her daughter. Caroline made sure that her daughter was okay before fluffing her pillows.

"Stop fussing mother," Pippa said. "I'm fine."

"You were shot," Caroline said. She still looked highly upset. "I am your mother and thus allowed to fuss"

"Mum is right," Jack said. He sat down on the chair in the room and pulled it closer to his sister. He gripped her leg in an affectionate way. "We were just so scared."

"So scared," Elsa echoed. She sat down on Pippa's bed. "Are you feeling okay? The doctor said that it was an easy fix."

"Thank God," Pippa replied. "At least I'm not in any major danger."

"Which I am so grateful for," Caroline sideways hugged her daughter.

"Ow mum," Pippa said. There was a moment pause. "There is one thing." Pippa turned to Elsa. "What was the business between you and dad?"

Elsa hesitated. She turned to Jack who nodded. Well she thought that she should tell them. After all, because of her their father had been shot dead and Pippa could have been. So for the next few minutes, Elsa spoke. She told them the truth. They deserve the full and honest truth. The news of what really happened to Elsa's father did shock them all. When Elsa finished speaking, there was a moment between the four people in the room. Nobody seemed to know what to say or do. It was a while before someone spoke.

"You go girlfriend," Pippa said.

Elsa did a double take at Pippa's reaction. She was sure that there would be more shouting – possibly a demand from someone for Elsa to leave the room, break up with Jack and never bother them before. The look Pippa was giving her, it was uncanny. However, Caroline had a worrying expression on her face. Maybe she didn't agree with her daughter.

"Well," Caroline said, "that is quite a story."

"Do you hate me?" Elsa asked, fearing the answer.

"No," Caroline said. "I do not condemn killing another person in any case even if the person is a bastard like my dear late ex-husband." Elsa tensed. She was sure that this was the moment that it was all going to come undone. "However," Elsa breathed a sigh of the word. "I do agree that self-protection or the protection of others – especially innocent people – like yourself. You mentioned that you were found not guilty of the crime. That is good enough for me and it should be for everyone else."

Elsa could have kissed her. "So I'm not banished?"

"For protecting yourself from an evil bastard who abused you?" Pippa said. "Not likely. You're preaching to the choir here."

"Thank you," Elsa smiled at the people in the room. "I am glad that we can now move on. Now that our wretched fathers are not able to hurt us anymore and all the secrets are out."

"Amen to that sister," Pippa grinned. "At least your father or our father can't hurt us ever again."

"True," Elsa shrugged.

"What?!" a shriek came from behind them.

The three frosts and Elsa turned around, and to their shock and horror, saw standing in the doorway were Bunnymund, Tooth, Sandy, Gogo, Honey, Astrid, Tadashi, Hiccup, even North had shown up – practically everyone who interacted with Elsa and Jack on a daily basis. Elsa guessed that Jack must have called them to let them know what was going on. They must have heard what Pippa had said because their mouths were gaping open.

"Ah," Jack said as he got up from his seat. "How much did you hear?"

"Basically what Pippa just said," Astrid said. "What do you mean by it?"

Pippa shared a sideways glance with her brother. They seemed to have some kind of secret mind reading ability going on.

"Uh," Jack said when he looked back at his friends. It seemed like he was a loss for words. He wasn't the only one – the entire room had been struck dumb.

"You might as well tell them Jack," Caroline said. "They're your friends. They might as well know the truth."

"The truth about what?" Honey asked. Her voice was low and soft. She kept glancing between the Frosts and Elsa.

"The truth about our father," Jack said suddenly. "I never told you the truth and I should have."

"We both should have," Elsa said. She was staring at Astrid. Astrid seemed to be reading Elsa's mind. Did everyone have this secret mind reading power but her?

Elsa and Jack looked at each other and Elsa took in a deep breath. Together, they spoke for a good ten minutes as they relayed their pasts to everyone in the room. Neither one of them left out a single detail. Elsa finally revealed all – her father, her mother, her sister, her friends and that dreaded night. After they both had finally stopped speaking, a silence engulfed the room. Everyone was shocked to the core. Elsa wondered if they would give her the same reaction that the three Frosts had given her.

The silence was sickening. Elsa wished that someone would say something – anything – but no one did. Elsa's tongue was stuck in her throat. Words failed her.

"So," Astrid finally said something, breaking the deadly silence that had captured them all, "those dreams that you've been having – it was your father wasn't it?"

"Yes," Elsa said.

"PTSD," Astrid said quietly.

"Yes," Elsa repeated.

"So that's our stories," Jack suddenly said. "What do you guys think of it?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tooth asked. "We could have helped."

"I guess I didn't want you to know," Jack said.

"Mate," Bunnymund gave his friend a sympathetic look, "we are your pals. We will always stand by you."

"I know that," Jack said. "It's just hard to say this kind of stuff. Elsa was one of the only people in the world who I told and that was because she had gone through the same stuff and thus understood my pain. It was hard to bring this up and it's still hard. I guess I do feel glad that you guys do know."

"Well, we are glad you have finally told us," Tooth said. "I understand, this is your story to tell when and if you decide to tell us."

"Thanks," Jack smiled at his friend.

"Elsa," Astrid turned to her, "you should have told us. We could have helped. PTSD is not something someone should go through alone."

"I wasn't alone," Elsa looked at Jack and took his hand. "I have Jack."

"You shot your father?" Gogo was looking at her funny. "You really did? I don't know if I would have had the guts to shoot someone even if it was to protect myself."

"I didn't even think," Elsa said. "I just saw the threat and reacted."

"Like a solider under fire," North said. "I've been there, I've fought in wars before and when you're under fire, you don't even think about it. You just shoot and what's in front of you. I imagine the same thing could be said about your situation."

"I guess," Elsa shrugged again.

"So now you guys know," Jack said. "What do you think about it all?"

They all exchanged glances with each other.

"You should have told us," Hiccup said.

"You should have," echoed Honey.

"But," Gogo said.

"We are glad you have," finished Astrid.

"But we are still mad at you for not telling us," Tooth said, trying and failing to look angry. "However, we know why you didn't."

"We also don't judge you," North stated.

"I love you guys," Jack said.

"Thanks for understanding," Elsa said.

"It's a lot to take in," Astrid said. "We're still processing stuff but I think I speak for everyone when I say, we are behind you all."

"Thanks," Elsa, Jack and Pippa all said in unison.

"Is this a good time?" two policemen – one man and one woman – entered the room. "We just want a statement from all of you."

"Alright then," Caroline said.

"We'll see ya later then," Astrid said.

She along with the rest of their friends left the room. The two members of the police stepped into the room. The women police officer was short and had short grey hair. Her partner was tall when he stood next to her and had ginger hair.

"Hello I am Lieutenant Judy Hopps and this is my partner Detective Nick Wilde of the Burgess Police Force," the female cop said showing her badge while her partner did the same thing. "I understand that a shooting took place at your resident."

Elsa didn't know why but she felt a bunny like vibe from the women. Maybe it was the face that she was constantly bouncing on her feet or her little nose and big ears. Her partner was giving off a sort of fox vibe himself. Maybe it was longish nose, big ears and his sharp teeth which Elsa saw when he smiled at them.

"Yes," Caroline replied.

"Could you give us your account of what happened that night?" Lieutenant Judy Hopps asked.

With help from Elsa and Jack, Caroline told the story of what happened. They had left out the part of Vincent blackmailing Elsa though. Instead, they just said that Vincent had showed up earlier and made threats and demands before showing up again and made the same threats and demands. Only this time, he had brought a gun. Lieutenant Judy Hopps took every word they said down on a little notepad using what looked like a carrot pen.

"Okay, I think I have everything I need," Lieutenant Judy Hopps popped her notepad and pen away. "Thank you all for your cooperation. It looks like an accidental shooting to me."

"We'll be in touch," Detective Nick Wilde said. "If there is anything else you remember, please, give me a call."

He produced a card and Caroline took it with the promise that she would. The two officers bade their goodbyes leaving the Frosts and Elsa in Pippa's room. Elsa breathed a little easier now. It looked like they believed them and if so, they would leave them alone. This was what she wanted. She didn't want the story looked into anymore. If they did, they may discover the truth to what Vincent discovered prior to his death. This could be the unravelling for everything.

The aftermath of the police investigation ended up concluding that Vincent had been shot accidently by either Jack or Vincent himself – they couldn't determine who it was and Jack, himself, didn't know what had truly had happened that night. Elsa was relieved with what the police had finished their enquiries and had put the matter to rest. Lieutenant Judy Hopps seemed satisfied with the report. However, was this the end of all her worries? There was still the issue that everyone had discovered the final piece of her story. Jack and the others had accepted her past despite learning about their hidden histories. Elsa had been worried about how they would take the news but, to Elsa's surprise, they had accepted Elsa without question. They all knew. Elsa wouldn't have to hide any part of her from them now. No more hiding anything anymore. She could finally be herself around them – although hopefully not as a victim as that was what she hated.

That wasn't all. Both hers and Jack's abuser were now dead. They were gone from the world. They could no longer hurt them or anyone that they love. Elsa's PTSD episodes that had flared up over the last couple of days had calmed down following Vincent's shooting– well for the moment anyway. It was probably because the subject of them no longer had a physical form standing in front of her causing her great woe and shoving a gun in her face. She guessed she would just have to continue with her therapy and maybe that would help as it has been helping in the past. So did that all mean that Elsa could finally put things to rest? That she could just forget about it all? They would still be a part of her no matter what but she could maybe move on with her life especially now she had her friends – including Pippa and Caroline – and Jack standing beside her, encouraging her, aiding her. It was nice to have that. She had never had that in the past. However her past was still hanging over her. Would it haunt her for the rest of her life?

She would just have to finally learn to let it all go.

 **A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry again for the wait guys! Kristanna's date sure went well, didn't it? Vincent is now dead, well I'm sure Jack can breath more easily now. Elsa's past has also been revealed (as has Jack's), so everyone finally knows the truth about them both. Vincent's arc may have come to an end but more is to come in this story. I had it pointed out that North has popped up but I'm sure I have introduced him earlier. If not, he is a friend of Jack's family. Also there was a Zootopia cameo which I hoped people enjoyed that. Anyway, please review!**

* * *

 **Reviews;**

 **Ash; YEP!**

 **Guess; All goods, you didn't sound harsh to me. Thanks!**

 **TayMaeve; I hoped you liked the Kristanna. Thanks! Updated as requested.**

 **sanaa11; Yep he is and he caused a lot of trouble. I hoped you liked the date.**

 **Starskulls; Omg, thanks so much. Elsa and Anna do meet again but that's a bit away. Sorry for the cliffhanger.**

 **Kimchee2222; So glad you thought so. I am too. Thanks so much!**

 **ZigZag17817; Thanks so much. Sorry about that, just had a lot to deal with so this story took a backseat for a while but yes, am continuing it to the end. Anna and Elsa do meet again but in the future. Thanks again!**

 **.165; Hoped you liked what came next.**

 **Daiharuu; See top of chapter for answer. I hoped that cleared things up for you. Thanks!**

 **AFallenAngel1221; Omg thanks so much. Super happy you think so. Aw, it did? Sorry about that. Haha, so sorry but hopefully this fixes your state of suspense.**


	18. The Girl At The Hospital

**Chapter 18: The Girl At The Hospital**

 _Seven years later_

"So what do you two think?" the real estate lady asked them.

Jack turned to Elsa. "I like it."

Elsa agreed. Elsa and Jack were currently looking at an apartment to move into. It was a two bedroom apartment complete with a bathroom, kitchen and living room that had wide windows which looked out onto street belong with a park in the background. Elsa took a look out of the window. She focused on two kids playing with a soccer ball near the fountain in the park. Elsa watched as the ball went into the fountain and one of the kids went in after it. Thankfully it was a warm summer's day so they wouldn't freeze in the water.

Elsa turned back to Jack who was looking at her expectantly. Elsa took one more look around the apartment. They had looked at what felt like a hundred apartments and none of them came remotely close to how nice this place was. However, it was expensive and outside their budget. Most of their savings would go into buying the place and the rest probably into renovating it. Elsa didn't like the wall colours and some DIY work was needed fixing up the kitchen.

However, Jack loved the place as did Elsa. Elsa doubted very much that they could find a better place to live. Currently, they were housing at Caroline's house in a small room above the garage. They had been kicked out of their old – rather small – apartment due to their lease expiring. Caroline had come to their rescue and said they could take the room above the garage until they could find a new place to themselves.

"I like it too," Elsa smiled at Jack.

"I'll leave you two to discuss," the real estate lady said.

She quickly left, leaving the two of them alone. Elsa took a small wonder around the kitchen. The kitchen opened up unto the living room. There was even a counter that had white shutters that did the same thing. Elsa opened up these shutters and leaned against the counter. Jack did the same thing but from the other side.

"So," Jack really stretched out the word. "This place," he looked around at it, "could be our new home."

"It's a little pricy," Elsa said with a small sigh.

"Says the heiress," Jack sniggered.

Elsa gave him a look. "I haven't been an heiress in about eight years. Besides, I'm glad that life is over with."

Jack gave her a small smile. "So, should we take it?"

"Hmm, does need some doing though."

"A little here and there," Jack's eyes fell upon some of the things Elsa had already pointed out in her mental notes. "Nothing we can't do ourselves."

"True. So what do you want to do?"

Jack was grinning at her. She giggled. She knew what that grin meant. Together they came up with an offer which they thought would be quite reasonable.

"So," the real estate lady came back. "What did we decide?"

"We'll put an offer down," Jack said.

Together, the three of them discussed the deal. Elsa was quite excited – her hands could barely stay still. This could be the start of their new lives and she wanted to start living that life as soon as possible.

"Ah lovely," the lady said as Elsa signed her name on the offer agreement. "A wonderful place for newlyweds to settle down."

Elsa hand was taken by Jack's and he grinned again at her. They had been married for about a year now. Their engagement had been quick – only a few months – as they wanted to get married as soon as possible. After they both had finished university, Elsa and Jack had moved in together. Three years later, Jack had popped the question. Their wedding was small – only friends and family. During her wedding, Elsa had felt a yearning for the people back in Arendelle. How could she get married without Rapunzel or Merida or…or Anna? Jack had picked up on this and thought they should have travelled to Arendelle but Elsa had been quite adamant in her reply. She had decided long ago that life was no longer a part of her. It had been hard but she needed to do it. She needed to put Arendelle and all who lived in it firmly behind her.

They weren't the only ones of their friends who had gotten married. Astrid and Hiccup had gotten married about a year before Jack and Elsa did. Tooth and Bunnymund along with Tadashi and Honey were both engaged. Tooth and Bunnymund's wedding was the following year. They were both getting more and more stressed as the days go on by due to the stress of the wedding. However, Tadashi and Honey were waiting to get married. They both wanted to travel around the world before they got married. Elsa wondered if they would end up getting eloped in some foreign country which she supposed would be rather romantic.

They left the apartment about half an hour later in high spirits. Elsa was quite excited – she hadn't stopped being excited since the moment they had walked into the apartment. They may have a new home.

* * *

Anna raced around with a brush in her hair and her toothbrush in her mouth. She was late, oh she was very late. How could she have allowed this to happen? She had closed her eyes for only a second – well she thought it had been one. Turns out, it had been about forty minutes and thus making her very late. She thought she had taken precautions to avoid this happening again. She must have slept through the five alarms she set to make sure this didn't happen. What was she going to do with herself?

Anna quickly fixed her hair and finished brushing her teeth and tried to find her clothes all at the same time. She nearly tripped – a few times actually – as she tried to put on her pants. Kristoff, who was having breakfast and watching her at the same time, laughed. Anna scowled which only made him laugh harder.

"How about instead of laughing, you help me," Anna put her hands on her hips and gave him glowering look.

"You were the one who slept in," Kristoff spooned cereal into his mouth.

Anna scowled once again before tying her shoelaces of her sneakers. She started to look around and slowly filled her bag with things she needed. However, she was missing something – her pass. Where was it? A dread filled within her. She couldn't remember where she had put it. Oh, if she lost it, she would be in so much trouble. Anna raced around

"Missing something?" Kristoff leaned back in his chair.

"Uh," Anna hesitated. She couldn't handle seeing his smug expression if she told him the truth. "Maybe."

"Is this it?" Kristoff held up her pass. It seemed to have been sitting on the kitchen counter where she had left it the night before. How she missed it before now, she had no idea. Relief crept through Anna's features and she felt a rush of gratitude towards her boyfriend.

Anna rushed at him and gave him a kiss on his check. "Oh my God, thank you so much. I love you so much!"

"Haha, I know," Kristoff said. He returned the kiss and handed over her pass which Anna put carefully into her bag.

Anna rushed out the door and headed out the door to work. Anna worked at the local hospital – Saint Olaf's Hospital – as a nurse in the children's ward and had been for about a year now. She loved her job. It was exactly what she wanted in life. It gave her a purpose in her life and the children always brought a grin to her face. The hospital was about a twenty minute walk from the apartment she shared with Kristoff. She had moved in with him about few months ago. Kristoff had asked her a couple of times before that but Anna wanted to try the independence thing before she officially moved in with him and besides, she wanted to have finished up with university. They had been together now for a very long time and Anna was sure that this was where she wanted to be in her life. She was very happy with Kristoff and he was happy with her.

Anna looked down at her watch. She gulped. She was still running late. How can that be? She thought that she might have made up some of the time but she guessed not. Anna raced down the street. People gave her funny looks as she bolted on down the street but she didn't care. All that mattered to her is that she got to work on time. Anna had a tendency to be late. Even though her boss was kind, she didn't particularly like the fact that Anna turns up late. Well, not this time. She may have been late yesterday and the day before that but they say that third time is the charm.

Anna burst through the doors of her hospital and skidded to a halt in the locker room. She quickly opened her locker and took out her scrubs.

"Well somebody is on time today," came the voice of Zoë.

"I know!" Anna replied as she looked at her friend.

Zoë had also gone into nursing when they had left school. Anna and Zoë had together fought the tides of university and got their nursing degrees. The days they spent at university were some of the best in Anna's life. She had thoroughly enjoyed it. Céline and Audrey had gone a different way in their life. Céline was a journalist. She had made a name for herself over the years as quite a good reporter. She had come to Saint Olaf's a few times and Anna had fun giving her quotes. Meanwhile Audrey had become a graphic artist and was working on a series of comic books.

"We better go before Nurse Mellum blows a casket," Zoë said as Anna pulled out her scrubs and got changed.

Nurse Kaia Mellum was their boss. She was a kind but strict boss. Anna was constantly reminded of Professor McGonagall whenever she saw her. She even had a long emerald green coat that reminded her of the cloak that McGonagall wore.

"We better," Anna said as she pulled her scrub top over her head.

Anna shut her locker door and followed Zoë out of the lockers. They raced down the corridors and found Nurse Mellum handing out assignments to all the nurses around her. She gave them a look as they approached. Anna felt her insides shrink but she took her place among the other nurses.

"Nurse Olstad," Nurse Mellum called while Zoë hurried forward. "You and Nurse Winters are both going down to the ER. You have been requested."

"Requested huh?" Zoë asked.

"I think Doctor Fredriksen has a thing for you," Anna nudged her elbow into Zoë's hips while they both giggled.

"Girls," Nurse Mellum looked at them with a disproving glare on her face, "there is a time and place for gossip and this not that time nor is it the place."

"Sorry," Anna and Zoë both said.

"You better be. Now off you trot."

Anna and Zoë both hurried off. The instant they were out of earshot, they both burst into giggles. Sometimes Anna thought that they never have really grown up.

* * *

"So, I gather by the looks on both your faces that you found your new home?" Caroline asked Elsa and Jack.

They were sitting at Caroline's sitting room. Elsa and Jack were sitting on the couch while Caroline sat next to them on her usual comfy armchair. She was pouring them some tea while they ate some cakes. Elsa loved Caroline's cakes. They had the taste of a warm home and friendly grandmother.

"Was it the one on Hawthorne **(1)** Circle?" Pippa asked.

Pippa had dropped in on her mother, brother and sister-in-law. She lived in the main area of Burgess in a small apartment she shared with a maths teacher by the name of Stanley Heron. Pippa was teacher's aide – that's how she met Stanley. However, Pippa worked in the English department rather than the maths department.

"Yes," Jack replied. "Hawthorne is five minutes from both our jobs and Jamie lives right around the corner which is a bonus."

Jamie Bennett lived with his long term girlfriend Emma Stevenson. Elsa and Jack often went round to their place for dinner most weeks. When Elsa first met Jamie, she remembered being quite nervous. This was one of Jack's oldest and dearest friends, not to mention that he was the hero of Jack's history. However, it turned out that Jamie was just as nervous meeting her. According to Emma, Elsa was really the first girl that Jack ever connected with or was serious about. That made Elsa feel a lot better because that was exactly the same way she felt about him.

Since their first meeting, Elsa felt like she had known Jamie and Emma for most of her life. Well, it might have had something to do with Jack always talking about Jamie. Jamie knew about Elsa's past – Jack had mentioned it to him – but Elsa didn't mind. This was Jamie Bennett after all – the hero of Jack's tale. She felt like she was lucky that Jamie had been in Jack's corner that day.

"But it's like half an hour from me Jacky," Pippa pouted.

"Yet somehow, I will survive," Jack said which made his sister scowl.

"So," Caroline gave her two children a look before turning to her daughter-in-law as if she hoped to get a sensible conversation going which she often didn't get when her two children were in the same room, "did you put an offer in?"

Elsa put down her tea before answering. "Yes, we decided to even though it's a quite a bit outside our budget."

"Ah well," Caroline said. "You could come across a thousand of homes that will be within your budget and may be nice or good but they may not have that special something that you are looking for."

"Indeed," Elsa said. "It did sparkle for me."

"Sparkle?" Caroline grinned at her. "Well then, it must be something special."

"It does need some work though," Elsa said. "I'm sure that Jack and maybe Bunnymund or Jamie could help there."

Suddenly Jack's phone started to ring. Elsa jumped at the mere sound of it. Thankfully she had put down her tea so it didn't slop all over her. That would have been fun.

"It's the real estate lady," Jack whispered at her.

So soon? Elsa didn't know what to think. This could either mean two things; either they hated their offer at the mere sight of it and this was a 'sorry but they rejected your offer' phone call or it was the 'they loved your offer' phone call. Elsa didn't know what one was more likely. She felt like with their luck it was the former.

"Well answer it," Elsa said in a whisper of great urgency.

Jack seemed so excited that he seemed to have forgotten to answer his phone. His checks reddened as he quickly answered his phone. Elsa tried to listen in but it was quite hard to hear what the real estate lady was saying and Jack had forgotten to put it on speaker mode. Jack kept saying words like "yep", "yeah" and "uh-ah" which didn't give away anything. Elsa wasn't the only one waiting on edge – Pippa and Caroline were too.

"Thank you," Jack suddenly said before hanging up.

"Well?" Elsa asked expectantly.

Jack's face split into two. "We got it."

Elsa could have done summersaults. She gave him a small kiss and grinned at him.

"We have our new home," Elsa said.

"We do indeed."

"Congrats guys," Pippa said. "I thought you guys would be stuck living over the garage for ages. Damn, I owe Tooth ten bucks…on a completely different bet," she added under the glare from her brother and sister-in-law.

* * *

Merida was not having a good day. Firstly, she found out that her normal job coaching kids in archery down at the local rec centre had been cancelled due the position already being taken. She would always do the holiday programs but somehow this year 'her services would not be required'. Then her coach was in a grumpy mood and made her do extra work. Whatever was causing his bad mood was enough for Merida to pay for it. Then, once she got back home, she found her triplets brothers – Harris, Hubert and Hamish – needing a ride to Hubert's ice hockey game which Merida had thought her mum was going to take care of. Her brothers often got into trouble whenever they got together. They may be thirteen now but they certainly still acted the way they did when they were five. They would always go and do dangerous stuff – stuff that Merida knew would get them trouble. However, her brothers did do their best to help her whenever they could.

Merida ended up taking her brothers to Hubert's ice hockey game which she wasn't too thrilled about. She was supposed to be practicing. She was hoping to make the Olympic Archery Team this year (she had the previous time but she didn't get a medal) and since her coaching session was cut short, she needed to make up the time. She just wanted the hockey game to be over with so she could go home and continue her practicing. However, the game didn't last long. About half way through it, a fight broke out. Merida hadn't been paying much attention to the game (she had been fiddling on her phone) but she got the semi-gist of what the fight was about. Apparently one team captain of the other team thought that a member of Hubert's team was cheating. It started with a few choice words from each team and a couple of shoves before it blew up into a major fight. By the end of it, quite a few people ending up being hurt.

So that's how Merida had ended up having to drive Hubert to the ER at Saint Olaf's Hospital because he had broken his leg when someone pushed him over and he fell onto the ice. Once they had arrived at the hospital, Merida had called both her parents but neither one of them could make it for a while so Merida guessed she would have to take charge for the moment. Merida had been there for about fifteen minutes already and Merida was getting a little frustrated. They were packed today due to both ice hockey teams taking up the ER. Merida only hoped that they would be soon.

"Merida," came a voice that Merida recognised.

Merida turned around and, to her surprise, saw Anna walking towards her. Merida had completely forgotten that Anna was working as a nurse now. In her mind, she was still the little girl that often asked Elsa, Rapunzel and her if she could play with them. It seemed odd to her that Anna was now a working adult complete with her own apartment and boyfriend. Merida smiled at Anna as she approached.

"Hello Anna," Merida said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"It's not so weird considering I work here," Anna gave a small laugh. "So what is up with the little guy?"

"Hubert got into a fight at his ice hockey game," Merida said. "He broke his leg."

"So now you're waiting?" Anna replied and Merida nodded. "Maybe I can help with that. Hold on while I go get the doctor to examine the leg."

"Thanks Anna," Merida was grateful that Anna came along when she did. Who knows how long they would have been here for? Hubert was in a great amount of pain and Merida wanted that to be taken care of as soon as possible.

While they waited for Anna to return with the doctor, Merida's eyes fell upon a girl who was sitting at the next bed. She didn't look any older than about five or maybe even six. A man – who looked quite dominating – was standing by her bedside. The man – obviously the girl's father – gave Merida a funny feeling, almost a frightened feeling. Merida shivered as she looked away from the man. Her eyes fell upon the girl again. A doctor came over and started talking to the girl and her father. The father looked like he was trying to dismiss the doctor and hurry out however the doctor ignored him.

Merida didn't know why she was so interested in these people but something was telling her to continue watching them. The doctor pulled up the girl's top and revealed a number of bruises. Merida gaped at them – one even looked like a hand. It shocked her to the core. The doctor glared up at the father who was looking a little shifty. As Merida looked away from the girl, her father and the doctor who looked like he was getting ready to call the police, something was nagging at her but she didn't know what or why.

"All ready," Anna's voice tore through Merida's thoughts and brought her back to earth. Merida looked up at Anna who was standing with a tall gentleman with short, cropped brown hair. He had a kind face and had a white coat on. He was obviously the doctor that Anna went to fetch. "This is Doctor Fredriksen."

"Hello," Doctor Fredriksen said. "I hear someone has broken their leg. Let's take a look shall we?"

"And schedule a CT scan?" Anna asked.

"And schedule a CT scan," Doctor Fredriksen nodded to Anna. "Also an MRI to make sure there is no head injuries."

Anna sat on the chair next to Hubert and logged onto the computer. Merida couldn't help but notice Anna's login username and password – awint072 was her username and her password was "open door". Merida gave a small chuckle before she turned away. Anna ordered a scan for Merida's brother.

"Alright," Anna said. "Time to go up."

Merida watched as they led her brother up to the scanning machine. Merida wasn't allowed to go with him so she headed off to the waiting room with her other two brothers. Once she got there, her mother – Elinor – and her father – Fergus – was there waiting for them. The second they saw each other, they raced for each other to give a giant hug.

"Is Hubert okay?" Merida's mother asked. She looked very nervous as did Merida's father.

"Yeah," Merida said. "Just a broken leg. Well that is what we know so far."

"From the fight?" Merida's father asked.

"A fight?" Merida's mum looked shocked.

"Yes," Merida replied. "Don't worry, it didn't get too serious."

"I think I might have a chat to the coach," Merida's mum said. "A fight can be dangerous."

"Yeah, it can be," Merida said.

* * *

Jack was in the kitchen of his new apartment. Before he and Elsa could move in, they had to fix up the place a little. Elsa had created a list of jobs that needed to be done before they could move in and Jack was eager to start living his married life. At the moment, he was fixing up the kitchen cabinets. Elsa's eagle eyes had noticed that they needed fixing as some looked like they were coming off their hinges and the handles needed replacing. Jack had already gotten new handles and now was in the process of changing them. He wasn't alone; Bunnymund was with him. He was installing new hinges. Jack knew it wouldn't take the pair of them long to fix it. Perhaps a few hours at most as there weren't a lot to do. Well for this job anyway. Elsa will probably have a list of new jobs for them tomorrow.

"So is Tooth with Elsa?" Jack asked Bunnymund.

"Yes," Bunnymund said. "Tooth loves to decorate and she was glad at the chance."

Elsa had gone colour picking. Jack hated looking at colours – he knew he was in safe hands with her choices. He was happier doing up the kitchen. It was a lot easier than choosing a colour from a series of colours that all look the same to him.

"I'm glad Elsa has it under control," Jack said. "She always knows what to pick."

"You're not avoiding her are you?" Bunnymund quickly sounded serious.

"What an absurd thing to say," Jack looked shocked.

"I mean you guys had some difficulties when you were first married," Bunnymund quickly went back to screwing in the hinges.

Jack sighed. "We had a difference in opinion, Elsa and I. I thought that we should take a trip to Arendelle before we were married but Elsa put her foot down."

"Arendelle? Back to Elsa's home town?"

"Yeah," Jack sighed again. "I thought she should tell her family back there that she was getting married."

"But Elsa doesn't want to go back. I can see why though."

"Yeah, I can too. I just feel like a wedding should be surrounded by the people she loved."

"I don't think she loves them." Bunnymund said.

"I don't think that's true," Jack paused. "The way she talks about her sister, she does love her."

"Anna?" Bunnymund paused too as he thought about it. "Yeah, true."

"One day, she has to go back," Jack said. "She needs to face them all sooner or later."

"Yeah she does. Thankfully this is all in the past."

"Is it though?" Jack wasn't so sure. He was certain that Arendelle and Anna would come up in another conversation at some point in their future.

* * *

"What colour?" Elsa held up a series of colour charts.

"What does Jack like?" Tooth asked.

Elsa and Tooth were staring at paint samples, trying to decide on a colour for the living room area. Jack had refused to come stating that the kitchen needed work but Elsa knew he was just bored at looking at colours.

"I think he wants some kind of green or blue," Elsa said. "I'm in favour of a blue, personally."

"I think a shade of blue would look nice in your living room," Tooth started to flick through the colours. "Oh, I like this one, and this one, oh and this one, and this one too." Tooth pointed at the colours when she said it.

"That's not much help Tooth if you can't decide," Elsa laughed.

Together they poured over several different colour charts. Eventually, Elsa chose a few different colours that she got test pots for. She couldn't wait to start trying them out. It was quite exciting all this. She wanted to get the apartment ready as soon as possible. She wanted to start her married life because at the moment, it was put on hold which was not ideal.

"I've never known someone so keen to paint their own living room," Tooth said as they exited the colour shop.

"It's like living The Sims," Elsa said as she examined the test pots she had bought. "One of the best parts is designing the house."

"True, very true," Tooth laughed.

They both clambered into Elsa's car. Once they got all sorted, Elsa pulled the car out of the carpark and onto the road.

"I hate this stupid traffic," Elsa muttered to herself while drumming her fingers on the steering wheel as they waited in a massive queue to get onto the highway.

"Elsa," Tooth suddenly said, "can I asked you something?"

"You just did," Elsa hummed as she tapped on the steering wheel.

"You and Jack….you guys are okay now right?"

Elsa turned to face her friend. "What on earth makes you say that?"

"Well, you guys did have a rough patch."

"That was over a year ago," Elsa said. "When Jack and I got engaged."

"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure. I know we haven't discussed it much. I hope it's all in the past now."

"Yeah," Elsa sighed. "It was about Arendelle."

"Arendelle? That's where you were born right?"

"Yes," Elsa said as she turned the car towards the traffic lights. "Jack wanted to go visit, y'know, tell them all we were engaged."

"Because he wanted your family and old friends at the wedding right?"

"Yes," Elsa nodded. "However, he didn't understand that life is done and dusted with. I have put them in the past and there they'll stay."

"Are you sure?" Tooth looked concerned. "I mean, they are your family and friends after all."

"True but I have a new family and friends," Elsa said with a small nod at Tooth. "I think my old ones should stay in the past."

Tooth looked like she wanted to argue further but she shut her mouth. It looked like she had realised that it would be pointless. Elsa was glad of this. She didn't really want to talk about this anymore. Arendelle was in her past and Elsa wanted to keep it there.

* * *

"What's the matter with you Merida?" Rapunzel asked her. "You've been very quiet all night."

Merida and Rapunzel were in a local bar, enjoying what was left of their Friday night. Merida had come straight from the hospital where Hubert was now – in a shiny new cast – resting for the night. He would be allowed to come home tomorrow. Rapunzel, meanwhile, had come straight from work. She was an art teacher at the local school back home in Corona and loved every minute of it. Merida had been in a daze ever since she saw that little girl at the hospital. Merida had no idea why.

"What do you mean?" Merida asked her friend.

"I think in the couple of hours we have been here, you haven't said more than three words to me," Rapunzel looked at her friend with a concerned look. "You are okay? It's not Hubert you're concerned with are you?"

"Oh I know he will be fine," Merida said, "but it was a shock to see him on the ice in pain."

"It would be," Rapunzel sighed. "I wish I had a couple of siblings."

"No you don't," Merida said. "They are tiresome."

"Oh but you love them really," Rapunzel laughed.

"True. Oh speaking of siblings, guess who I ran into at the hospital."

"Um," Rapunzel looked like she was thinking hard. "One of Ariel's sisters?"

"Nope, try again."

"I have no idea Merida, just tell me."

"Okay, okay. It was Anna."

"Anna?" Rapunzel looked slightly confused for a moment before it clicked. "Oh right! She is now a nurse. Golly, it seems so weird for her to be a grown up. I remember her when she was five years old."

"Me too," Merida said. "It was just a shock to see her again. I haven't seen her in years."

"Probably not since Elsa's trial," Rapunzel said.

Elsa…something about her seemed to jaunt something in Merida's mind but she didn't know why. The little girl swam again in her thoughts. What was the connection between Elsa and the little girl? It was driving her mad. Merida looked back at Rapunzel and found her deep in thought to. When Elsa's name had been mentioned, both of them were very quiet. It had been eight long years since Elsa vanished off the face of the earth with nothing from her. Birthdays and Christmases ticked on by and still nothing.

"Where do you reckon she is?" Rapunzel suddenly asked.

"Dunno," Merida said as she drank her beer. "Wherever she is, I hope she's happy."

"Me too," Rapunzel said. "Do you think she will ever come back?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Merida. "She may not want to considering what had happened when she was last here."

"You mean the shooting? But that was an accident!"

"Her sister doesn't think so."

"Anna was in pain and looking for someone to blame and she found Elsa," Rapunzel said. "Maybe now that she's grown up, things might change."

"Anna isn't one for growing up though," Merida said.

"True," Rapunzel agreed. "Very true."

Merida found her way back to her Arendelle apartment just before midnight. Even though she mainly lived in Scotland now, she liked to come to Arendelle every now and then to see friends. She was spending a week in Arendelle for the moment and had already spent a few days here. Her family liked it here and they were currently spending their summer here. Merida had decided to come last minute because of her training schedule and so she dragged her coach along for the ride. However, she was glad to. Rapunzel had also decided to come up here for a bit of relaxation. It was the school holidays for her after all so she was just kicking her heels in Corona.

Merida kicked off her shoes at the door and hung her coat on the hook. She didn't have any roommates which she was quite pleased about. She liked living alone as she liked having her own space and independence. Merida quickly got changed into her pyjamas and headed to bed. Her eyes fell upon the clock by her bedside. It read five past twelve. Merida quickly turned on her side and shut her eyes. She really needed to sleep. However, that little girl was still in her mind.

Merida punched her pillow into a more comfortable position. Why was this girl constantly in her mind? Also, why was it whenever she thought about her now, her mind also drifts to Elsa? Was her mind trying to tell her something? Merida's thoughts didn't often go to Elsa. It was painful for her to think of her once best friend. Merida lay on her back staring up at the ceiling. She often wondered what happened to Elsa and where she ended up. Merida knew that Elsa liked the idea of practicing law so maybe that's what she did at some university – maybe Australia, New Zealand, America or perhaps another part of Europe like Germany or France? Who knows what happened to her friend.

As Merida shut her eyes, her final thoughts were of her long, lost friend.

 _An eight year old Merida picked up the last ball that was on the gym floor. It was a Wednesday afternoon and they had PE (Physical Education) last period. Merida had volunteered to help with clean up. Her class had a vigorous round of dodge ball. Merida's team had won only two games out of the five they played._

 _"_ _Thanks Merida," her PE teacher said as Merida placed the final ball in the bag. "You better run off and get changed otherwise you might be late."_

 _"_ _Thanks!" Merida yelled as she raced off towards the changing rooms._

 _Merida was in a rush as she opened the door to the ladies changing rooms. It wasn't until she saw Elsa standing over her school bag did Merida realise she wasn't the last person to leave. Merida was sure that she was the last. Merida was about to call out to her friend but she stopped – stopped by a sight she never thought she would ever see. Elsa was facing towards Merida but she did not see her friend. Elsa's eyes were pinned to her gym bag. Merida nearly gasped as Elsa removed her PE uniform's top._

 _Upon Elsa's removal of her shirt, Merida saw that there were bruises on her stomach that looked like they went all around to her back. One even looked like a handprint. Merida nearly gasped but she stopped herself. She quickly ducked behind some lockers and waited for Elsa to finish getting changed. Merida watched as Elsa threw her bag over her shoulder and exited the changing rooms. Merida only peeled herself away from the lockers when she heard Elsa's footsteps getting smaller and smaller. She had been a little nervous that Elsa would see her staring. Something told her that Elsa didn't want this known. No wonder Elsa had waited until everyone else had gone._

 _All throughout Merida getting ready for home, her thoughts were on what she had seen. It disturbed her greatly. Merida scurried away as soon as she could from the changing rooms when she had finished in them._

 _What had she just seen?_

Merida sat bolt upright. Blood was pounding in her ears. Sweat was pouring down her face. The dream – well it was a memory more than a dream – resonated inside of her. How could she have forgotten about this? How could she have not realised this before now? Now she understood the connection between the little girl and Elsa. The Elsa in the memory had bruises just like the little girl at the hospital. Merida now knew what that meant.

Elsa had been abused growing up.

* * *

After work, Anna headed back to her aunt's place. She may no longer live there but she did miss the years she lived there. It was filled with happy memories. However, she didn't miss living under her aunt and uncle's rules. She liked being independent especially now that she was a full-fledged adult. Anna walked back home, quickly got changed and headed to the apartment building's garage. Kristoff wasn't home so Anna figured he was making late night deliveries. He often delivered to bars, clubs and parties at this time.

Anna hoped into her car and started the engine. Anna did a complicated manoeuvre to get out the garage – there were at least two different poles and not a lot of space. It was a miracle that Anna didn't scrap her car every time she tried to drive out. Every time this occurred, Anna would swear and then wonder why she didn't park on the road. Then she remembered that there was basically no parking around her building and the parking wardens were like vultures around here.

Anna soon arrived at her aunt and uncle's place. Anna wiped her feet on the doormat and opened the door. Once she was inside, Anna announced her presence.

"Hello?" Anna called out.

"In the kitchen, love," came the voice of Anna's aunt.

Anna walked into the kitchen and smiled at her aunt. Anna kicked off her shoes and took a seat next to her aunt. Her eyes glanced at what her aunt was doing. Her aunt had her laptop out in front of her and Anna saw that she was looking up venue sights. It was Anna's grandmother's 80th birthday in a few weeks and to celebrate, the whole family was coming together in some kind of reunion. That's why Anna had come round to her aunt's house – she was helping her aunt plan a really nice party.

"Any luck?" Anna asked.

"Not really," Aunt Greta took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes in frustration. "Klaus is of no use here as usual."

"That's Uncle Klaus," Anna laughed. Anna took the laptop off her aunt and started to scroll through the sites. There wasn't anything that screamed 'grand family reunion with an amazing party thrown in'. "I suppose we could always use the mansion," Anna said this rather tired expression and offhandness.

"The mansion?" Aunt Greta looked a bit shocked.

"Why not?" Anna shrugged. "It's the family's isn't it?"

"Well not technically," Aunt Greta looked like she was struggling to get the words out. Anna waited patiently for her aunt to tell her. "In your father's will and the will of his father and his father and so on, it says that the house is to be left to the eldest as per tradition. So in this case, that would be, uh, well, Elsa."  
"Elsa?" Anna hadn't heard her sister's name in years. It was a topic she generally avoided. It was mainly for two reasons. The first was that she hadn't forgiven her for shooting their father – intruder or no intruder. Somehow, that always stayed with her and fuelled her anger. The second reason was one that Anna didn't care to mention. She did feel bad for the way she treated her sister but Anna felt like sometimes, it was justified. Elsa liked to keep Anna out of her life and all Anna wanted for years, was to understand why this was. So, perhaps Anna was angry at Elsa for that too.

"Well yeah," Aunt Greta shrugged.

"Well Elsa is gone," Anna couldn't help but sound a little sad. "She's not coming back."

Aunt Greta didn't bother to argue. She knew what would happen if she tried to. Whenever Elsa was brought into conversation, Anna would oppose any further mention with a brick wall. Everyone practically knew that Anna's sister was a sore spot for her. Aunt Greta decided it was better to just agree. Anyway, a party in the Arendelle Mansion did sound like a fun time.

"So you're gonna help me with the cake?" Aunt Greta said.

"I thought Grandma said no cake, no presents, no cards and absolutely no mention it's her eightieth?"

"Well my mother-in-law doesn't know what she's talking about," Aunt Greta said, sounding quite determined. "You can't have a birthday party without cake, presents and a card."

"You've already got all three haven't you?" Anna gave her aunt an amused grin.

"No – the cake hasn't been ordered yet."

Anna just laughed.

* * *

Merida was pacing up and down. She was no longer in her bed. She was now pacing throughout her apartment. Her brain was buzzing. Could her best friend of many years have been abused without her knowing it? Half of her brain thought the idea was crazy because she surely would have noticed it. Then she realised she had and didn't realise what she was seeing. Elsa would often come to school with some injury. When asked about it, she would have some ridiculous reason for the injury which Merida always raised an eyebrow at but never said anything. Merida wished she had now. That wasn't the only thing; Elsa was quite shy and withdrawn. She hardly had any social life – she never really spoke to anyone – and she rarely left her home except to go to school.

How could she have missed this? Her friend had been in trouble and she didn't realise it. Merida could have buried her head in her hands and cried. She felt so awful for not realising this sooner. The question was; who else knew? Did Anna know? Did the rest of the Winters family know? Merida doubted that they did. Anna spent most of her time at school in Switzerland after all and not in Arendelle. Elsa probably was tricked into not saying a thing to her family or maybe she was afraid of her abuser's wrath.

However, that raised another question; who was her abuser? Was it a teacher at their school? Nah, Merida thought that was quite unlikely. She probably would have heard of it and there wasn't even a whisper but then again, how much attention did Merida give her surroundings at school? A family member perhaps? Hmm, then who? Merida then had a nasty thought. She realised who could have kept Elsa from saying anything to anyone. That same person was the same person who Elsa was really afraid of – Elsa's father, the man who Merida had noticed Elsa trembled before and never dared to disobey. Merida collapsed into a chair. Had Elsa's father been the one who abused her? Well that would explain the whole shooting incident. Merida always had a feeling that Elsa was hiding something about the shooting and this must be it. Elsa must have been under attack by her father when she shot him. Well, that wasn't a pleasant thought.

Merida quickly got dressed. She had to tell Anna about this – let her know the truth. Maybe once they know the truth perhaps that would allow Elsa to come home? If Elsa knew that her family was behind her, maybe that would give her incentive to come home? Merida had her hand on her door handle when a thought occurred to her. Adgar Winters had been a powerful and influential man. Accusing him of something like this would require hard proof but what proof was there? Adgar was a smart man. He would have covered his tracks well. However, Merida did have an idea. Adgar Winters may have hidden the proof as best he could but there is one thing that he couldn't hide. Hopefully that will be enough to convince people.

Merida quickly grabbed her coat and headed out of the door. She had an idea – one that she hoped would work. Twenty minutes later, Merida found herself at Saint Olaf's hospital. She must be mad to do this. By going through with this scheme, she would be breaking all kinds of laws and privacy. Well, she could ask Anna for permission but she doubted that Anna would give it. Anna was touchy on this subject. The mere mention of Elsa and Anna would give you the silent treatment until you dropped it. Merida thought it was best that she left Anna alone until she had the proof she needed.

Merida entered the hospital and lowered the hood of her coat. If she remembered correctly, Anna shouldn't be working. However, Merida's mission had met a standstill which only increased her nervousness. The hospital was extremely busy. Apparently a bus had collided with oncoming traffic and caused a lot of major casualties. There was no way Merida would get the time alone she needed and she needed to be alone. One might think that with chaos, Merida would be able to slip away but there was just too much chaos. There was just too many people running about and stopping people who may look like they were lost or need help. Merida decided to come back the next day. Hopefully she will have the time and privacy to do what she needed to do.

The next morning, Merida almost sprinted back to the hospital. Unfortunately, she had overslept a bit which was not good. She wanted this mess sorted as soon as possible. She was going under the ruse of coming to see her brother but she had other plans (well she should really go see her brother anyway). Once at the hospital, she found her brother still in his hospital bed looking bored. Merida let out a small giggle. Her parents looked like they had this under control. Hubert wouldn't be discharged for a few more hours which gave Merida the time she needed – well that was the plan anyway. Once she was sure that Hubert was okay, Merida slipped away.

Once she left her brother's room, Merida realised she had no idea how she was going to do this. Maybe she should just find an unattended computer that she could use? Merida wandered about the hospital for about half an hour not knowing what she should do or not. Eventually she came down to a floor of the hospital which didn't have a lot of people on it. Maybe she could find what she was looking for around here?

"Merida?" a voice from behind her startled her. Merida turned around and saw Anna was sitting down at the nurse's station on the floor. She was sitting by a computer and had a series of papers in front of her. It looked like Anna was filling in patient's files. "What are you up to? Your brother is on the fifth floor. This is the third."

"Oh I know," Merida tried to sound nonchalant. "Just wandering about."

"Ah okay," Anna said.

Suddenly the alarm went to alert to a code blue in the room right behind Merida at the same time the alarm went off for a room just a few doors down from them. Everyone was suddenly on high alert. Anna quickly dashed off to help whoever was in trouble along with practically everyone who was in scrubs or a white lab coat on the floor. Merida quickly realised that everyone was so busy that no one was paying any attention to her. Everyone's attention had been drawn to the two patients who were suddenly in critical condition.

Merida quickly dashed behind the nurse's station and sat down in the same chair that Anna had just occupied. The computer had been turned off – it looked like Anna hadn't been using it while she worked, just on the patient files which Merida found in front of her. Merida wiggled the mouse and the screen lit up. It was asking her to login. Merida paused. What was she going to do now? Her mind went blank for a moment then suddenly a lightbulb went off. She had seen Anna's username and password when her brother had been admitted.

Merida struggled with remembering Anna's password for a few minutes. What was it again? Something about a door? Then it clicked in her brain. Merida typed in it and it allowed her access. Merida gulped. She knew it was illegal what she was doing but she felt like it was for a good cause. Besides, there was really no other way she could do this. Anna was basically Elsa's next of kin. She would have the access to what Merida needed – Elsa's medical records. They should show what Merida suspected – that Elsa had been abused by her father and most probably covered up by her doctors. That was probably the last place where proof would exist. Merida typed in Elsa's name and it came up with her records. Merida quickly printed them off – she would have to look at them later. There was no time now. Merida cast a nervous eye up at Anna who was in the room in front of them. Anna looked very busy making sure that the patient wasn't in any danger. She was currently checking the patient's vitals which looked like it might only take a few minutes, Merida wasn't sure how much longer she would be.

" _Come on_ ," she muttered at the printer. It wasn't just Anna who could come back. It was anyone really. She was lucky so far but her luck would soon run out. Suddenly she heard footsteps approach her. Merida quickly ducked down and she saw a doctor run off towards a room. The doctor didn't even notice Merida and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes went back to the printer. The printer soon spat out the last sheet she needed. Merida grabbed one of the folders nearby and she stuffed the papers inside of it. The second she had finished, she leapt up from her seat and walked quickly away from the computer.

"Merida," Anna's voice suddenly rung out through the hallway. Merida froze. Had Anna seen what she had been doing? She hoped not. That was the last thing she needed. Merida quickly stuffed the folder into her jacket and zipped it up so the folder wouldn't fall out.

"Yes?" Merida turned around and saw Anna walking towards her. "Is he going to be okay?" she pointed towards the man who had been in cardiac arrest only a few minutes before.

"Him? Oh yes. We have him stabled again. Touch and go for a bit but we have it under control. Actually, I was wondering if you're okay. You seem a little off."

Well it was true what Anna had said, she was off – more than a little. What had been going through Merida's brain over the last couple of days was more than Merida could handle. She had just found out that her best friend had been suffering all these years and Merida had no idea. She had just sauntered on with her life and didn't seem to realise it which only made things a lot worst in Merida's mind. However, Merida couldn't say anything just yet. She wanted to be sure and right now, she really only had a hunch and that wasn't enough to start making accusations especially about a once incredibly powerful man who belonged to an even more powerful family. Also this was Anna's father – how could Merida just accuse him without any proof?

"Yes, why?" Merida lied to Anna.

"Oh, nothing really, you just look like the world is on your shoulders."

Well, Anna did have a small point here but Merida just smiled and assured her that nothing was wrong with her. Anna gave Merida a small smile before she went back to doing her work that she had been working on before. Merida raced back up to her brother's room where she found her brother was being discharged. Her brother was in a wheelchair which was being pushed by their mother. The doctor reassured Merida's parents that everything was ship shaped.

Merida wanted to dash away – examine the documents she had just printed off – but her parents forced her to hang around and she didn't want to appear rude. Merida didn't know what her parents wanted with her – maybe help with her brother – however Merida, nonetheless, went along with it. So she went back to her parents' house with her brothers. Once she was home, her parents made a big fuss over all four of their children. Merida was trying to think of a way to escape – back to her apartment – but she couldn't. Her parents pulled at her left and right. Her mother wanted to know more and more about her life – her training, her coach, her love life (not that there was one and this topic of conversation seemed to be a common one she seemed to discuss with her mother). Merida felt quite exhausted by the end of it all. By the time, her mother had exhausted all her chosen topics (and checked on her brother at least ten times), it was dinner so Merida stayed and had a family dinner.

It was late when Merida left her parents' house. All she could think of was those files that she had kept hidden – underneath her jacket that was on a chair in the hallway, right by the door. Somehow no one had seen them which was a relief. Merida did one last check on her brother (she found him sleeping on his bed with his leg propped up) before she left and then finally, she got into her car to go home. Merida nearly broke the speeding limit several times when she was driving home. She needed to know and she needed to know now. She had waited long enough.

Soon, Merida arrived back at her apartment. Nervousness was coursing through her – pounding through her, hard and fast. Her heart was racing faster and faster with each step she took. Her fingers were trembling so badly that she nearly dropped her door keys several times. Once inside, she threw off her coat and shoes before sitting down at the little table in the kitchen. The folder was placed in front of her. She was so scared. This would either confirm her theory or disprove it.

She hoped to god she was wrong. She wanted to be wrong so badly. If she was right, her friend had been in so much trouble over the many years Merida had known her and that was a horrible thought. She didn't want to think what Elsa had gone through – all that pain and suffering, it was too much to handle. However, if she didn't look at it, then the thought of it would hover over her like a dark cloud for the rest of her life and would slowly consume her. Merida's fingers trembled as they fiddled with the folder. She couldn't. This was all too much for her.

 _Get a grip on yourself,_ Merida told herself. This was for Elsa. This is for your friend. Merida kept repeating that to herself a she opened the folder. She had her eyes closed as she did this. She was still very afraid to look. It took her a few more moments to calm her beating heart and her nerves before she looked at what was in the folder. She hadn't had a chance to have a proper look at the hospital before so this was it, this was going to confirm or reject what Merida suspected. Merida took a good, long look at the papers she had printed off and let out a long gasp at what she saw.

What she found inside made her insides squirm and her head spin. Broken arms, ribs, neck, legs were just of many injuries that she saw. There were even x-rays that showed the extent of the damages. There were also many bruises that were recorded – pictures included that made her head spin harder. Merida felt a horrible sinking in her stomach as she examined x-ray after x-ray. It was so bad, she could have thrown up. She hurried over to the sink and started to wretch a little but luckily nothing happened. Still, she felt ill to her stomach. So this was what had befallen her friend. This was what drove Elsa to shoot her father. This was what had driven her out of Arendelle and away her family. Merida hated to say it but her suspicions about her friend was correct.

As she flicked through the files, Merida did notice one important thing. She saw the same signature on all the medical files. It belonged to a Doctor Edward Lewis. Merida scowled. So he was the doctor who was allowing this to go on. If he wasn't a part of it all, he would have spoken up long ago. That ignited a massive fire inside of her. How could he have let this happen? No doubt he was probably paid off or maybe he was intimated by Adgar Winters. Either way, he was just as responsible as Adgar Winters for the pain her friend had felt.

Anna had to know about this and she had to know sooner rather than later. Merida glanced at the clock. She gulped. She hadn't realised how late it was but that seemed rather insignificant in her mind. This was very important for Anna to know and the sooner she learnt the truth the better. Merida quickly got ready to head off to Anna's and Kristoff's place.

It was time she knew the truth about her sister.

* * *

"What's that?" Anna said, sleepily but rather angrily at the same time. A loud pounding had woken both Anna and Kristoff up. Anna looked at the clock in her room. It read a quarter past two in the morning. "At _this_ time?" she added in an increasing frustrating tone.

Some idiot seemed to be pounding on her door. Kristoff looked just as pleased as she did to have a guest at this time of night. He sat up and rubbed his eyes and looked very annoyed.

"Who is that?" Kristoff mumbled. "Don't they realise what time it is?"

Anna decided it was best to go see who it was rather than leave them pounding away. Anna had a feeling that they wouldn't go until they had been seen. After putting on her dressing gown, Anna headed over to the door with Kristoff in pursuit also in his dressing gown. When Anna opened the door, she got a shock when she saw who was behind it. It was Merida but why on earth was she doing here and so late? Anna let a shocked and bewildered expression come over her face.

"I know it's late," Merida said quickly. She was panting. It looked like she had run here which just added to the confusion.

"You better have a good reason," Anna said rather grumpily as she folded her arms.

"I do," Merida said. "Anna you have got to look at this."

Merida handed a folder over to Anna – well she almost forced it upon Anna. Anna took it still looking quite bewildered. Where was Merida going with all of this? She still hadn't properly answered what she was doing here in the middle of the night. Was it really all in aid of handing over a folder to her? Surely Merida could have done that at any time – today for instant when Anna had seen her at the hospital – or maybe tomorrow in the daylight hours instead in the dead of night.

"What is _this_?" Anna held up the folder.

"Elsa's medical files," Merida said simply.

"What?" Anna was shocked. What on earth was Merida doing with them and why? "How did you get these?"

"Never mind that," Merida said which Anna knew was code for 'I got them illegally so don't bother asking'. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Merida must have gotten a hold of them when Anna had seen her today. How she managed to access them, well that was still a mystery to her. Perhaps Merida had seen her login and used it. If so, she was quite cross about that. Her access was private. Elsa's medical files are private. Merida shouldn't have gotten them but she was too curious to know why she had gotten them in the first place. What purpose did they hold for her?

"But why do you have them?"

Merida took in a deep breath. "Anna there is something you should know."

Merida paused as if she didn't know how to continue with it. Anna waited, rather impatiently. She wanted to know what Merida was doing in her home after two in the morning with Elsa's medical files. Anna hoped it wasn't anything too daunting. She was starting to see that Merida was here for an important reason and she was now getting more and more curious about what that reason was.

"Yes?" Anna said, pressing her on. She wasn't the only one who was interested. By the look of Kristoff, even he wanted to know more on this tale too. Merida took a deep breath in and looked Anna squarely in the eye before she continued.

"Anna, I think Elsa was abused by your father."

 **(1) The original name of Burgess and the name of the founder.**

 **A/N: Wow, can't believe how quickly I got this written. Inspiration had struck me it seems. Now Merida has discovered the truth and she's told Anna. Meanwhile Elsa and Jack are married and getting settled in their new life. So this is the new chapter. I hope people like what I've done with it - Merida's sleuthing included in that. I know there was a fast forward but we gotta get this ball rolling. Anyway please review!**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest: Thanks so much! Yep, that is the next arc.**

 **Mixybell: I have to keep updating, can't leave you hanging (hehe, but really I am enjoying writing this story and I will always try to finish what I started). Oh really? What an honour.**

 **Kimchee2222: Aw thanks. Some Jelsa fluff and Anna drama coming up for ya.**

 **faithambr: Me too. Thanks.**

 **pancakesonragegmail: Don't play that so missed the reference.**

 **Guest: Thanks! Aw, sorry to hear that but I am glad you enjoyed the rest. Thanks again!**

 **AlphaWolf97100: Haha me too. Sort of, more dealing with Elsa's past will be the next arc.**

 **williambragg165: Thanks!**


	19. The Girl In The Photo

**Chapter 19: The Girl In The Photo**

"What?" Anna wasn't sure if she heard correctly. What on earth did she say? Did she really say what she thought she said? She thought she heard Merida say that Elsa had been abused growing up? That wasn't all; she was accusing her father to be the responsible party. She couldn't think of a more absurd statement. As if her father could hurt a fly. She had no idea where Merida was getting this work of fiction. The whole thing seemed so ridiculous to Anna. It didn't fit at all with what she knew of her family.

Suddenly a rage built up inside of her. How dare she make such an accusation - and such a horrible one! This felt like a smear campaign and Merida was her father's political opponent. Either Merida was trying to be cruel – presumably on purpose – or this was some sick joke as if Merida was suddenly going to start laughing and say it was a mean joke. Anna did wait for Merida to announce that she was joking or something along those lines but it never came. Merida just kept giving Anna a serious look. Instead, Anna just gawked at her sister's friend. Surely this was a joke – a mean and cruel one, yes but a joke nonetheless – hasn't it? Silence fell between them as they locked eyes with each other. It was a while before either one of them spoke.

"Anna, I think –"

"Get out," Anna said simply but each word had anger pulsed through it.

"Anna, please, this is important!"

"Get out!" Anna basically yelled the words. Her anger was now getting the best of her. "That is a lie! My father isn't an abuser. My sister did not get abused growing up! This is just something you're making up! It's sick that you are."

"If you would just look at the file I gave you," Merida words were drowned out by Anna's words.

"Stop," she shouted. "Leave now and never come back, do you hear me?!"

Merida tried to protest – she even tried to force Anna to look at the papers in the folder. Merida shoved them towards Anna and forced them into her arms. In response, Anna walked over to her kitchen and threw the folders the rubbish bin to send a message to Merida. Merida simply gaped at Anna as she did this.

"Anna!" Merida exclaimed.

"Anna," Kristoff said softly.

Anna ignored them both. Instead she stood by the door and pointed at the hallway as if to signal Merida to leave. Merida stood her ground. It appeared that she was not going to leave without a fight and by god, she looked ready to give a war.

"Anna," Merida spoke firmly. Anna looked ready to tell her to stop but Merida forced her voice to overshadow Anna's. "Your response to this is to bury your head in the sand and to ignore everything. When is that ever a good thing? You can throw away the evidence. You can ignore what I say. You can even force me out of your apartment but it won't change a thing. Adgar Winters was a cruel, cruel man and if you don't want to believe that fine. However, it's like I said; you can't change it."

With that, Merida turned on her heel and marched out of the apartment. Good, Anna thought as she slammed her door shut. As Anna turned around, she saw that Kristoff was giving her a kind look. Anna looked at her boyfriend questionably.

"Anna, are you okay?" he asked her in a kind and gentle tone.

Anna was silent for a moment. "No, would you after hearing your father's name dragged through the mud?"

"Well, no," Kristoff said.

It looked like Kristoff wanted to continue the conversation but Anna just stormed straight back to bed. Kristoff sighed and followed his girlfriend. Anna headed directly to her bed and hopped into it. A sigh came from Kristoff but he didn't say anything. Anna knew what he wanted to say. Words like "are you sure" or "we need to discuss this" came to her mind when she thought about possible discussions she would have with him. She most definitely didn't want to discuss this. There was nothing to discuss anyway. The facts were clear.

Merida had come up with an ugly lie. Her father wasn't an abuser….wasn't he? Anna's mind started to spin. No, she was being ridiculous. Merida had obviously planted something in her head to think like that. He was an honourable gentleman who ran one of the most respected companies and families in the world. He was a kind and gentle soul. What Merida was saying about her sister, it was a pack of lies. It wasn't true…was it? Anna started to wrestle with herself.

Surely she would _know_ if Elsa had been in trouble. Although, would she? She hardly spoke to her sister over the many years. She didn't even see her that often as she was away from boarding school. So perhaps it could be possible for something to go on in their house that she wasn't aware of. Stop being stupid Anna, she told herself when these thoughts crossed her mind. Elsa wasn't a stupid girl. If she was being abused, surely Anna would know and if not her, then their grandmother Ingrid Winters. Elsa would have said something to either of them. She wouldn't have willingly let it continue. Wouldn't she?

Anna twisted and turned in her bed while snores echoed from Kristoff. She couldn't rest. Her mind wouldn't let her. It kept pulling memories after memories – memories that Anna didn't realise she had – into her mind's eye. They all contained Elsa; Elsa having a broken leg, arm, Elsa crying and Anna walking in, Elsa being evasive and secretive. Then one particular memory came into view.

 _"_ _Look Elsa! There's one left!"_

 _Anna had noticed that there was one cookie left. Elsa smiled as Anna took the cookie out and started to nibble on it._

 _"_ _So there is!" Elsa said in a cheerful manner._

 _Anna didn't get too far in eating the cookie as they were interrupted by their father storming in. He didn't notice his two daughters at first but then he gave them a small pat on their heads. He then went over the pantry and opened it. A small pause and then he turned around to face his daughters._

 _"_ _You took the last cookie!" that was what he screamed and he screamed it at Anna._

 _Anna felt frightened. She didn't know what to do or think. All she did was eat a cookie. Was that really a capital offense? Apparently so. Still, why was making a big deal out this? The cookie was lying just in front of her. Anna had put it on the table when her father had walked into the room. If he wanted it so badly, he can have it. Anna hadn't had a lot of it – just a few tiny nibbles._

 _Her father advanced on her. Anna could feel herself trembling. She didn't know what he was going to do. Suddenly Elsa piped up. Suddenly it was her who was confessing that she had eaten the cookie. Their father changed his course. He was now advancing on Elsa. A hand smacked across her face. Elsa fell down onto the ground. Anna was shocked at her father's behaviour but she didn't say a thing. He didn't even give Elsa a second glance. Their father then left the room leaving Elsa on the floor and Anna in a state of shock._

Anna quickly sat up but she didn't stir Kristoff. Did she remember what she thought she was remembering? Surely not. This was just her mind playing tricks on her. A thought had been planted in her mind and that inspired her dream. That was all. Anna laid her head back on her pillow. However it was of no use. She still couldn't rest. This was starting to get more and more ridiculous. Anna carefully pulled back the sheets and headed into the kitchen.

She had to know.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Elsa asked Jack.

They were both standing in front of one of their walls of their apartment. They were both in work clothes which were splattered with paint from the time they helped Caroline paint her garden fence. Jack's clothes were also quite grubbing from the number of DYI jobs over the years. The wall had several squares of different colours – some were blue, some were green and some were grey. They were both trying to decide which one would be the lucky winner and the prize was the main colour of their apartment.

"I have no idea," Jack said, shrugging.

"As usual, you are useless," Elsa laughed.

"Hey! I resent that remark!"

"You know it's true."

Jack let out a small laugh just as a knock was on the door. Both of them looked up and saw three figures standing in the doorway. They had left the door open so these three new guests were hovering awkwardly in the doorway. There was a man and women – obviously married – with what looked like a sixteen year old girl. The girl was carrying a dish of some kind. Jack and Elsa grinned at them.

"Hello," Jack said as he walked over and he shook the hand of the man and woman.

"Hello," the man said. "I am Tui Waialiki, this is my wife Sina and our daughter Moana. We are renting the place next door and we thought we would come and introduce ourselves as it looks like we will be your neighbours for a while."

"How nice," Elsa said. "I am Elsa and this is my husband Jack Frost. It is nice for you to come and say hello. We don't know anyone so it is nice to finally meet someone."

"Well we only just came up here ourselves," Sina said. "We've only been here for a few months and probably won't be for more than a few more."

"Oh why?" Elsa asked.

"Moana is on an exchange," Sina said giving her daughter a proud smile. "It is a quite a change from what we are used to. You see we are from a small Polynesia country."

"Like Samoa or the Cook Islands?" Jack asked. "I am afraid I don't know Polynesia quite well although I do know they are one amazing culture."

"Indeed it is," Tui grinned. "We are from a small island called Motunui. You ever hear if it?"

"No, sorry," Elsa said. "I know a few Polynesia countries but I have never heard of that one I am afraid."

"It's a beautiful island," Moana said. "Although I am quite taken by the sea that surrounds it."

"Moana is a sailor and a pretty amazing one too," Tui said. "Part of her exchange up here is doing courses on seafaring and several competitions that are coming up."

"How intriguing," Elsa grinned. "That sounds amazing."

"In honour of our visit," Moana handed over a plate. "It's Īnanga, whitebait," she added seeing the look on Elsa and Jack's face. "It's a Maori fish dish."

"How nice," Elsa popped the fish in the fridge. "How kind of you."

"Oh it's no problem," Tui said. "We have quite a good recipe for it. Some of Sina's relatives are from New Zealand."

"So, would you like to stay for dinner?" Elsa asked.

* * *

Anna walked through her darken living room. She must be mad to do this. If she does, she practically admits that there is some chance her father did what Merida claimed he did and there wasn't a single chance, not to Anna anyway. The likelihood of this being true is as likely as Jurassic Park happening in real life rather than a story on the big screen. Anna almost turned back to bed. This was – like it always has been – ridiculous, simply ridiculous.

However, Anna couldn't turn back. It was like some force was keeping her feet moving away from her bedroom. This mysterious force willed her towards the trash bin. It was like she had no control over her own body, mind. Anna's hand reached into the bin and pulled out the folder that she had thrown out only an hour before on its own. The folder was placed on the table while Anna sat down on the chair in front of it. She must be mad. _She must be mad._ By doing this, she feels like she is betraying her father. It was like she had taken a knife and shoved it into his back.

No, Anna almost pushed her chair away. This wasn't right. Even though her brain was saying to leave it alone, her heart was saying otherwise. The dream she had unsettled her in a way she never thought she could be. It kept playing in her mind. It made her unsettled, uneasy. Her fingers reached for the folder and before she knew it, they had opened it. Her eyes darted away from the papers inside. If she looked, she would be a horrible daughter. In her eyes, he had done nothing wrong – he was a good father, a bit unfair but isn't that the job of a parent? However, a nasty thought did occur to her. He was that in _her_ eyes. Would her sister think the same? Well it was no secret that she didn't like him. That drew another question; why though? Was the answer hidden away in this folder? Was the answer to everything about her father's shooting in here too?

She drummed her fingers on the table. Her eyes still danced all around the room, never landing on what was in front of her. Well, she was either going to look and discover the truth or she could go back to bed and never know the truth. Anna continued to drum her fingers on the table as she thought about this – hard. Well, it wasn't like was going back to bed, not with this on her mind. That mysterious force from before was still in control of her. Perhaps the force that is controlling her was being led by that dream she had. That dream was very odd. She was sure it was a memory. If she accepted that, then perhaps there was something to what Merida was saying. Anna shook her head. That was absurd. Her father wouldn't do something like that.

Her father couldn't do that and the dream being a memory can't both be true. She sighed. It was finally time to find out the truth.

Anna looked at the folder. She wished that she would find what she thought she would find – maybe some half-baked story about some disgruntled employee who is trying to make out that her father was an abuser and that had serious flaws in it. However, a small part of her thought she knew what she would find.

Kristoff awoke in the very early hours of the morning. He yawned a little and his arm stretched over to pull Anna into a cuddle. However his arm hit the bed instead and he quickly realised that Anna wasn't in their bed. Where was she? He looked over to the clock. It showed that it was only five past five in the morning. By all accounts, she should be in their bed fast asleep. It was only then did he hear the sound of someone crying. That sounded a like Anna. What was she up for? Also, why was she crying? What had made her so upset? He quickly sat up, threw on his dressing gown and walked out of the bedroom.

He found his girlfriend sitting at the table with her hands running through her hair. Papers were strewn about the table and some were on the floor. She looked positively distressed and tears were leaking out of her eyes, staining her face which only made Kristoff upset. What had befallen her? Had this all to do with Merida's visit?

"Anna?" Kristoff strode straight to her. "What's wrong?"

"It's all true," Anna was in hysterics. It looked like nothing would calm her down. "It's all true."

"What is?" Kristoff knelt down in front of her and took her hand. "What is sweetie?"

"Look," Anna pushed papers of what appeared to be x-rays in front of him. Kristoff looked at them with a puzzle expression. The one that Anna had shoved in front of him looked like a broken arm – not that he could really tell. "They're all like this," Anna practically screamed the words. Her voice had gone very high pitch. Kristoff soon realised what she was saying to him. She shoved x-ray after x-ray into his face. Kristoff did notice that they all contained some injury or another. He quickly saw what Anna was saying now. He had finally caught on.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Kristoff asked, his voice shaking. "That your sister was abused by your father?"

"I guess," Anna said wildly. It looked like she didn't know what to say or do. She looked right at Kristoff. "You were closer to her than I ever was. Did you see or suspect anything? Was there anything at all?"

Kristoff thought hard. Had there been something that he overlooked? Well, he did know Elsa more than Anna but it wasn't much more. He hardly interacted with her. Well, maybe there was that one time when he studied at her place but he didn't notice much between Elsa and her father. Maybe this was a conversation better suited for Rapunzel or Merida. So Kristoff had failed to notice that Elsa had been in trouble this entire time. Well, that didn't make him feel any better. It gave him a horrible feeling in his stomach.

"No," Kristoff said after several long moments of silence. "All I knew that Elsa didn't much like going against your father. To be honest, now that I think about it, I think she avoided him as much as possible. Well, that is just speculation. I think you better talk to someone who knew her better – Merida or…or….or Rapunzel. They were closest to her after all."

"True," Anna said. She seemed to have calmed down a little but she still looked highly distressed. "I think I will give Merida a talk to and may chat to a doctor at the hospital. I want to have some weapons in my arsenal."

"Arsenal? Are you planning a war?"

"Yes," Anna looked determined. "If this was all happening, Elsa would have to see a doctor. These medical documents prove it."

"And?" Kristoff was a little lost but he allowed Anna to continue.

"Don't you see?" Anna looked more distressed. "If Elsa was seeing a doctor about her numerus injuries then someone must have allowed this to continue – not report it I mean which is the law in cases like this. That's why I want to see a doctor. To confirm that this wasn't some injury that could be passed off as something else. That it was just an honest mistake"

"I think that's a good idea."

Kristoff still couldn't get his head around what Anna was saying. If it was all true – and judging by what was in Elsa's medical files (it didn't take a genius to figure out that was Merida had brought) and the look in Anna's eyes – that a girl he knew reasonably well (it was hard to get close to her) was being horribly assaulted. It was hard to wrap his head around it all. Kristoff then quickly realised something. All this was bringing up the past and it had brought a thought as well.

"Do you reckon she shot your father to protect herself?" he said.

"What?" Anna said sharply. Then it looked like she was doing some serious thinking. "That never occurred to me. Did she? Oh my god, she did. He must have been angry that night. Oh my fucking god. He had tried to kill her didn't he? I knew there wasn't an intruder but the fact that it was him…"

Anna was in hysterics again and she couldn't continue. More tears came out of her face, staining her face even more than it was before.

"I think," Kristoff spoke his words carefully, "I think Elsa thought her life was in danger that night and took the shot."

Anna ran her fingers through her hair. "He was trying to kill her."

She kept repeating those words. It seemed like nothing would calm her down. Kristoff took her in his arms and she started to cry on his shoulder. Kristoff held her close and tightly. He started to cry too.

This had been an interesting night – well that was certainly one way to look at it.

* * *

"Are you okay Anna?" Zoë asked her.

They were eating lunch. After Anna's hysterical outburst in her kitchen, she had gone back to bed with Kristoff but she didn't get to sleep. Her mind wouldn't let her. Tears hadn't stopped coming down her cheeks all day. She had to hide them when she got to work but she did suspect that Zoë and some other co-workers have suspected that she was upset about something. Of course she was. Her mind wouldn't let her forget what Merida had told her or what she had seen. Elsa, poor Elsa, how could she not have seen it? How could she not have realised it?

Well, to be honest, she didn't see her very often. Anna was usually at boarding school and she didn't spend every holiday in Arendelle. She often journeyed to other places with a variety of friends. God, it was like she was trying to make up excuses for behaviour. Fact was, she had been a horrid sister to Elsa. She had bullied and yelled at her. She had accused Elsa of hating her, of killing their father to get at her. Anna hadn't been a sister to her at all. The truth was very obvious. Elsa had spent her life trying to protect her – why else would Elsa have gotten their father to send her away? In Anna's dream, she could remember so vividly their father advancing on her before Elsa protected her. Elsa must have realised what was going on so she arranged for Anna to get out.

There was no doubt in her mind now that Elsa shot their father in self-defence. She had been right about there being no intruders except she had been wrong in everything else. That night must have been Elsa's darkest night. What exactly had gone down, Anna may never know but she could guess. Elsa must have been attacked by their father – what caused it, Anna could only speculate – and she must have grabbed the gun and shot their father.

"What?" Anna suddenly looked at her friend.

She and Zoë were sitting alone in the busy hospital cafeteria. All their usual sitting mates were currently running about the hospital due to a bus crash. Some drunken idiot had crashed into a bus, injuring dozens and killing himself. Zoë and Anna were lucky in the sense that they were allowed to have lunch. They might normally not been allowed to – the others certainly wouldn't have.

"Anna, are you sure nothing is wrong?" Zoë asked her.

Anna had a nasty feeling that Zoë could read minds. She was giving her a stare that made it look like she was staring into her soul. Maybe Zoë had figured things out. Anna certainly hadn't been herself all day.  
"Why ask such a question?"

Zoë sighed and put down her knife and fork. "Okay, first off you have been in a daze all day – you haven't been yourself all day. Second, you look like the weight of the world has come down on you – something is obviously bothering you. Thirdly, you haven't touched your food. You just been sitting there – poking at it. It's not like you to not eat. Lastly, you look like you have been crying all day and that you haven't slept a wink. I saw it the moment you stepped into work. So please, what happened? You know you can tell me anything."

Anna sighed. Should she tell her? She wrestled with the decision to tell her friend but something prevented her from telling her the truth. Her mouth opened to tell her but no sound came out. Why? She told Zoë practically everything such as her feelings for both Hans and Kristoff. Anna soon realised what it was that was stopping her. It was her own shame. Anna couldn't admit to anyone (other than Kristoff) about how she hated her own sister, called her a liar and practically stomped on her whenever she could only to find out that her sister was going through hell and protecting her at the same time. Anna felt foolish and wretched for her behaviour. She felt like she could die.

"Anna?" Zoë said,

"Uh, nothing's the matter," Anna quickly said. "Excuse me."

Anna got up from the table, leaving her meal uneaten behind her and a confused Zoë. She dashed towards her lockers. The lockers were on the other side of the hospital, so it was a bit of a distance to run. She passed several of her fellow nurses who she overheard saying things had calmed down in the ER which was good news for her – it would mean that she might not get paged by her boss. Once Anna was at her locker, she unlocked it and took out Elsa's medical files. She knew a fellow doctor here who could tell her what she wanted to know – if a doctor could mistake these injuries for accidental ones. When Anna first saw them, she knew they were bad but how bad, she didn't know. Hopefully this little meeting would answer everything.

Anna's feet soon led her up fifth floor which was the children's floor. She had a friend up here who was a paediatric surgeon. Anna had done been a nurse in a lot of her surgeries and she soon became a favourite. She soon came to the door which she was looking for and knocked. A woman in her early thirties with long raven coloured hair and a bright smile answered.

"Anna," she said. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Doctor Anker," Anna replied. "I have a question for you."

"Dare me," she said. "Sounds important." She checked her watch. "I have a surgery in an hour, so you got me until then." Doctor Anker stood back and allowed Anna to enter her office. Anna sat in front a magnificent desk and Doctor Anker sat in her chair. Behind the desk was a series of book cases and her accolades and degrees in nice frames. "Like the desk? It was a present from my husband."

"It's nice," Anna smiled.

Doctor Anker leaned back in her chair and stared at Anna with an inquisitive look. "So Miss Winters, what can I do for you?"

"Could you take a look at this?" Anna opened the folder and placed it on Doctor Anker's desk. "I need a professional opinion."

Dr Anker picked it up and carefully looked at each page, each x-ray. Her face darkened with every x-ray she examined. When Doctor Anker had finished, she closed the folder and placed in neatly on her desk and rested her hands on them.

"Whose file is this?" Doctor Anker asked. Her voice didn't show any emotion but had a worried underlying sound.

"A patient of a friend," Anna lied. "She wasn't sure on what was being shown."

"Ah," Doctor Anker raised an eyebrow at Anna but continued on. "Anna, please tell your friend that I am."

"It's not an accident?" Anna asked. "Like from say falling off a bike or a tree?"

"No," Doctor Anker said very firmly. She picked up one of the x-rays and showed it to Anna. It was an x-ray of Elsa's lower arm, wrist and hand. She placed it in front of Anna and pulled out a pen which she drew circles on fractures on the arm. "These are spiral fractures. They indicate a twisting force. These should at once raise suspicion of child abuse but that's not all." Doctor Anker then pulled out one of the x-rays of Elsa's femurs. "See this? It's called a Metaphyseal fracture." Doctor Anker traced the fractures with her pen. "These are known to be specific to child abuse cases. This is just the beginning of it."

"So any doctor should realise this is an abuse case?" Anna was tense for the answer.

"Yes," Doctor Anker said sternly. "If any doctor saw these and didn't inform the police, then they wouldn't just be helping a child abuser get away and allowing this to continue, they would be breaking their oath as a doctor."

So it was true. It was all true. She didn't want to believe it but it was all true. A part of her had been hoping that Doctor Anker would tell her that it was all in her head but alas, it was not to be. It was confirmed now. She couldn't ignore it anymore. That wasn't all. It should have been seen by a doctor but no police was ever called to their house. Not a single one over the many years had one turned up at her family's doorstep. This meant only one thing; whoever was treating Elsa must have known that she had been abused and didn't say anything. Could that mean that this particular doctor was being paid off not to say anything? Well, they could have been blackmailed but to Anna, a nice little sum of money here and there was more likely.

"Are you okay Anna?" Doctor Anker looked concerned. "Is this someone you know?"

"No," Anna said very quickly – maybe a bit too quickly.

Doctor Anker gave Anna a look that made Anna feel like Doctor Anker was looking directly into her soul. It was rather uncomfortable. Did Doctor Anker know that Anna was lying? Well, when had Anna been a good liar?

"Okay," Doctor Anker looked like she didn't believe it. She then checked her watch. "Oh I got to go surgery soon, is there anything else you would like to know before I head off?"

"Yes," Anna said. She knew that Doctor Anker did know that Anna knew the person they were talking about. It didn't take a genius to know and Doctor Anker was good with people. It's what made her such an excellent paediatric surgeon. "What would you do?"

"Well hypothetically if this is someone you know, then hypothetically I would talk to the doctor who treated this person as it's obviously been allowed to happen for many years. Judging by the dates on these files, it's been happening for about fifteen years. So the doctor must have known – and pretty early on based upon these files. I would talk to him and then call the police. This is all hypothetical of course."

"Of course," Anna said at a speedy pace. "What if, hypothetically, you were horrid to the person and feel awful but didn't know about what was really going on?"

"Well if it was me, I would try to apologise to this person. It's never too soon to rebuild bridges that have been burned."

"Thank you," Anna said. "I am really grateful for this advice."

"No problem," Doctor Anker got up from her desk. "Now I really got to run. Pity you haven't been assigned to my surgery today but alas, we all have to make sacrifices."

Both she and Anna gave a laugh. Dr Anker then handed back the folder and walked over to the door and held it for Anna. They walked together down the hallway for a few moments. Only a few small words were spoken between them as they walked towards the surgery wing. Anna's paged then suddenly went off.

"I'm wanted in the ER," she said as she read the page.

"You must go," Doctor Anker said. Anna started to set off in the opposite direction. "Oh and I hope you manage to sort things out with your sister."

"How do you…" Anna managed to splutter out.

"Trade secret," Doctor Anker tapped her nose. "Also if you are trying to hide who you are talking about, maybe check your files if there are the name of the patient anywhere."

"Oh," Anna said and watched Doctor Anker's retreating back.

* * *

Merida was sitting at the local Arendelle bar drinking. She felt quite depressed over the whole affair with Elsa and Anna. First off, she found out that her friend was being beaten and abused and then when she tried to tell Anna, she got her head bitten off. She may have been quite tactless and not sensitive but still, if Merida had been told that any of her brothers had been abused, she would have tried to find out as much as possible. Maybe Anna didn't think her father had been a horrible man. To be fair to her, she would react the same way about her own father.

Merida sighed and ordered another drink. When it arrived, Merida took a long sip. What was to be her next move? Merida started to think. Should she continue down this path? Well, if she gave up now, she felt like she was betraying Elsa if she didn't fight for her. So yes, she should even if it meant another round with Anna. So, yes, she should continue, but how? Maybe if she got more proof, Anna would have to listen then. The more proof she stacked up, it would be hard for her to knock them down. Well she practically had the smoking gun and Anna said not guilty as the verdict. So what should she do? An idea did end up coming to her. She could go see the doctor who treated Elsa. Perhaps he could shed some light on this whole mess. Yes, that would be a good idea. If he admitted it, then Anna would have listen… well wouldn't she? Surely Elsa's doctor would be a well-respected man, so maybe that could work in her favour. However, would she be able to find him? He could still be practicing and Merida knew where Elsa went to get her medical care, so that was something. First thing tomorrow, she would head there and see if she could find this Doctor Lewis.

"Merida?" Merida got a shock at the mention of her name. It brought her back to reality. She turned around and to her shock and surprise, she saw Anna standing right next to her. What was she doing here? Last time they had met, Anna had been yelling at her and throwing her out of her apartment. So what did Anna have in store for her now? Maybe a threat to force her to lay off this topic forever? Well that was very unlike Anna. Probably more like an argument that supported her father. That was more like her.

"Can we talk?" Anna's voice was soft and sincere which was very different to the tone that she had been using for. It didn't sound like Anna was getting ready for a battle. It sounded like she was ready to negotiate a peace treaty rather than dividing battle lines.

"Sure," Merida said. Merida wondered what was going through Anna's head or what she was going to say or do next.

Anna took a deep breath. "Firstly, I would like to apologise for my behaviour earlier. It was uncouth, immature and I would like your forgiveness."

"You've changed your tune," Merida said, "but I do understand where you were coming from. I made a horrible accusation against your father. I was insensitive to the whole thing. I should have come at it from a different angle. I do accept your apology but I doubt you need that. However, what has brought this on?"

Anna looked like she could cry right then and there but she stopped herself in time. "I have realised you are right."

"What?" that was the last thing Merida expected from her. "You have? How?"

"I did look at the medical files you gave me," Anna admitted. "Once I saw what they contain…" Anna's voice trailed off and Merida thought she saw tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Merida quickly said.

"Don't apologise," Anna said. "It wasn't your fault that I was such an idiot."

"You didn't know," Merida said simply.

"Still no excuse, I should have seen the signs," Anna looked extremely bitter. Anna sat down next to Merida and buried her head in her hands. Merida didn't quite know what to do. She patted Anna on the shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"Look," Merida said and Anna looked up at her, "none of us knew. I didn't. Rapunzel didn't. Kristoff didn't. Even your family didn't know. So why go blaming yourself for something that no one saw?"

"Yeah but you didn't treat your sister like shit," Anna said. "I was an ass to her. If I had known…"

"You would have throttled your father?" Merida finished for her. Anna just shrugged and laid her head on the table.

"What should I do?" Anna said. "I feel so lost and confused."

"What about talking to Elsa's doctor?" Merida suggested. "I was thinking about chatting to him to help convince you. He may have something of interest to say."

"Yeah, a co-worker suggested that same thing," Anna seemed to improve at this, "besides, someone has to pay for what happened to Elsa. If it can't be my father and then maybe the next best thing."

"I agree," Merida nodded.

"However it still begs the question on what I do about Elsa," Anna became demoralised again.

"You could apologise," Merida shrugged.

Anna looked at Merida with a weird expression. "Apologise? Well I certainly want to but how?" I mean, where is she? It's like she's disappeared into thin air! It would be easier to find Amelia Earhart than her."

"This is true," Merida said. "So none of your family has mentioned that they were in contact with her?"

Anna shook her head. "The only person in my family she would probably contact is our grandmother but I doubt she would. I would have put money on her contacting you or Rapunzel which obviously hasn't happened."

"I think we need to figure out where she's gone."

"And also talk to that doctor," Anna added. "If I'm going to kill anyone, it will be him."

* * *

"What's wrong?' Kristoff asked Anna when she let out a sigh.

It was the next day and thankfully for Anna, it was a day off for her. Anna was currently on her laptop scrolling through the website of the local private doctor office that Anna and Elsa was always taken to whenever they got sick when they were growing up. She was looking at the list of the current medical staff at the doctor office however she couldn't find Doctor Lewis – the doctor that had been treating Elsa for her life in Arendelle.

"I can't find Doctor Lewis," Anna said to Kristoff. "I thought for sure that he would be on this site but he's not listed as one of the current doctors."

"Maybe just Google him," Kristoff suggested as he took a seat next to his girlfriend. "He could have retired or changed practices."

"True," Anna said as she opened up Google and typed his name in the search bar. Once the search results came up, she gaped at her laptop. She thought she would find stuff about his research or maybe something about him relocating to another job but not this. Instead, she discovered something very different.

"Doctor arrested for fraud," Kristoff read the top search result. "What the fuck?"

"I know," Anna clicked on the newspaper article. The article was from some years ago but it still proved interesting. "Doctor Samuel Lewis, an Australian born doctor who has been practicing in Arendelle, Norway for the last couple of decades, has been arrested today on charges related to fraud. According to investigators, Lewis has been accepting bribes from patients to alter their medical records. 'Lewis has been cooking the books for some time,' says the leading investigator Jakob van der Valen." Anna continued to gap at the article. This was the man who was treated her sister? He was a nasty piece of work it seemed. It wasn't just her sister; many other people must have faced his poor treatment skills and the repercussions that came with it. Well at least the doctor that had allowed her father to treat her sister so poorly was behind bars. Well, at least there was some justice in that.

"It says here that he has also lost his medical license," Kristoff said as he read over Anna's shoulder.

"Well it's no wonder," Anna said. "I think we need to pay the good ex-doctor a little visit."

* * *

"This looks good Mrs Frost," Sina commented on Elsa's cooking.

Tui, Sina and Moana were sitting around Caroline's dining room table. Elsa and Jack had invited them over to Caroline's as their apartment was nowhere near ready to have guests. It was only the five of them. Caroline had gone out to dinner with a friend so that meant they had the house to themselves.

"Oh please call me Elsa," Elsa said as she sat down opposite Jack.

"So how is the sailing going?" Jack asked Moana when they all started to eat.

"Great," she replied with a large grin on her face. "I have a competition in a couple of weeks in Hawaii. I am really looking forward to that. It's a race from Hawaii and up the coast of California. So have to keep practicing and practicing."

"Sounds fun," Elsa smiled.

"You guys should come out on the boat," Moana said. "Sailing just gives you a sense of freedom like no other."

"I'm not much of a sailor," Jack said with a nervous laugh.

"Aw, come on," Moana said. "You'll have fun. What about you Elsa? How are you on the open waters?"

"Not too bad actually," Elsa said. "My dad had a boat and he used to take me and my family out on it."  
Elsa almost did a double take on the mention of her father. It had been the first time in nearly seven years that he had been mentioned. The memory of her family having a fun time on the Winter's yacht nearly brought tears to her eyes. That was one of the few happy times she could actually remember having with her father. She didn't let any of this show. She didn't want to explain herself to people she just met and these people were her new neighbours. It would be nice if they could just see her as the friendly neighbour.

Elsa sighed as painful memories started to surface.

 _"_ _Is there nothing like the sea air?" Anna said with her arms thrown out. She took a long deep breath and closed her eyes. She was up at the bow of the boat. Elsa, meanwhile, was leaning against the railing on the starboard side, near where Anna was. Elsa was gazing out at a school of fish that was swimming near the surface._

 _"_ _Yeah I suppose," Elsa said with a small smile at her sister._

 _Elsa looked back towards the sea. Some of her happiest moments were when they on their dad's yacht. It was quite a big boat and with just the three of board with a Captain and a few deckhands. The boat was two levels; there was the main deck (which was the level of the ship that you boarded onto) that a series of rooms on it which overlooked the water – these were rooms like the gym, command centre and a room to sit down and eat, then there was the lower deck which had all the bathrooms, pool, sauna and cabins._

 _"_ _You two ready for a picnic?" their father had come out from the lower decks. He was rubbing his hands and smiling – actually smiling – at them. That was a sight not often witnessed by Elsa._

 _"_ _Yes dad," Anna said._

 _"_ _First up, a dive though," their father said as he gestured towards some scuba gear._

 _They were sailing around some of the islands that surrounded Arendelle. Some of them were occupied but today, they were heading to one of the unoccupied ones. They soon weighed anchor a little off shore. Elsa and Anna grabbed some of the scuba gear and popped it on over the top of their togs. Below them was a series of reefs that had numerous aquatic life. It was quite a lovely sight to behold. Elsa and Anna fell backwards off the boat and dived headfirst into the water._

 _Elsa used hand signals to ask if Anna was okay and she used hand signals to reply that she was. They swam down towards the reef which was a truly remarkable sight. Elsa and Anna spent a good deal of time examining the fish and the coral. Elsa liked these moments. She did enjoy spending time with Anna and these were some of her favourite moments. However, things always got in the way but here, under the sea, that all seemed to drift away. The water seemed to wash everything clean._

 _Eventually they had to surface. Elsa wished that sometimes she could just stay beneath the waves but alas, she couldn't. However, instead of a growl from their father, Elsa got a grin and some kind words._

 _"_ _It's a great dive isn't it?" he asked._

 _"_ _It is," Elsa nodded._

 _After they got changed, they headed onto one of the islands for a picnic lunch. It was one of the few times Elsa felt like a member of the family. She knew it was all to end soon but she decided to enjoy the moment._

"Elsa?" Moana's voice suddenly snapped Elsa back to reality.

"Oh sorry," Elsa faked a smile. "Just remembering the good ol' times on the water."

"Ah, I see," Moana grinned and she launched into another one of her sailing stories.

Jack seemed to be the only one who understood Elsa's sudden descent into silence. He kept nervously glancing sideways at his wife and Elsa did the same to Jack. They lock eyes and Elsa gave him a small nod to signal that she was fine. Moana and her parents didn't notice this exchange at all. They were too busy caught up in Moana's talk of a sailing trip.

"So you know your way on a boat huh?" Moana looked impressed. "So how 'bout it? A day on the waters?"

Elsa looked at Jack who shrugged. Elsa looked back at Moana.

"Okay, why not?"

* * *

Anna was waiting in a private visitor's room at the Arendelle Correctional Facility For Men. The room was small and nothing impressive could be said about it. Her fingers were drumming against the bench. Saying that she was nervous was an understated. Anna had to take some deep breaths to calm her nerves. She looked around the room for something to do. Thankfully her uncle was an old friend of the warden so that was how she managed to get a meeting with a certain inmate. In front of her was Elsa's medical file. She was going to get answers no matter the cost.

The door then opened, rather expectantly and Doctor Lewis walked in. He was no longer the suave doctor that she remembered from her childhood. Whenever she went to see him as a little girl, she always thought he was so put together. A handsome man and a private practice, Doctor Lewis seemed to have to all. Those days were far over it seemed. His dark brown hair was now cropped and it looked like the life had been drained from him. Well two years in prison could do that to a person. He looked quite thin as well – maybe he wasn't eating properly.

His hands were bounded by handcuffs but that was all. He wasn't a violent prisoner so it was no wonder that he wasn't heavily chained. The guards offered to handcuff him to the bench but Anna dismissed this idea. Well he wasn't dangerous and wasn't a threat. Doctor – well Anna supposed he was no longer a doctor – looked very surprised to see Anna sitting and waiting for him. Maybe he hadn't been told why she was there. Once he was sitting down, the guards left the room as per Anna's request. There was a small moment of silence before he broke it.

"Anna Winters," he said, "it is a shock to see you."

So he did remember her, good, that would make things so much easier.

"This is not a social visit," Anna said sternly. "I want you to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Keep in mind, I _will_ know if you're lying."

"What is this about?" Lewis looked quite scared and nervous which was what Anna wanted.

"Elsa," Anna said simply.

"Oh," Lewis stopped dead at the sound of Elsa's name. He looked a little petrified. Good, Anna had unnerved him. Lewis knew immediately what she was talking about.

"You knew, didn't you?" Anna had to stop herself from raising her voice. That was a real challenge.

"Knew what?" Lewis said trying to keep his cool but Anna didn't think he was succeeding very well.

"Don't play dumb with me," it was getting harder and harder for her to keep her cool. "I know you let my sister's abuse slide and that is unforgiveable."

"Your sister wasn't abused," Lewis brushed it aside as if it was nothing. "I would have seen signs of it."

"So she was just clumsy?" Anna said this in the same throwaway manner that Lewis was talking in.

"That is one way to put it," Lewis said.

"Uh-ah," Anna said rather unbelievably. She then opened the file and took out an x-ray of Elsa's wrist. "This is an x-ray of my sister's wrist. You're a doctor – well you were one," Anna gave a short laugh but continued. "So you should notice the spiral fractures which indicate a twisting force as if someone grabbed her arm and twisted it. I've been informed that these should raise suspicions but then again, they could be easy to miss." Anna made sure to give him a look that clearly told him that she didn't believe that for a second. Lewis started to look a little shaky. Anna had him right where she wanted him. It was time to go in for the kill. Anna then pushed an x-ray of Elsa's femur. "See this? Well you should know it's a femur but it's what it shows that interests me. There are Metaphyseal fractures which to any professional would know that they are specific to child abuse cases." Anna watched Lewis started to sweat. She could have smiled but she decided against it. "Now my question is, were you lazy? Incompetent? Or just stupid to miss such obvious signs?"

"I am none of those things," Lewis's voice flared up. He was angry now. Anna knew that his pride would be his downfall. Lewis was a proud man and being in jail with his medical license being taken away would have severely damaged that. That was why Anna was poking at it with a rather large stick. It was fun to see Lewis unravelling.

"Then why didn't you speak up?" Anna thought she knew the answer but she wanted to remain in ignorance bliss for now.

"I think that is my cue to leave," Lewis said and he stood up and turned to leave.

"Okay but know this," Anna stood up too and her voice was no longer calm. Rage fuelled every single word. "I know the truth. I know that you let an innocent girl's life be destroyed and I want to know why. What was more important than _that_?"

There was a long silence. Too long of a silence. What was going to happen next? Was he going to walk out that door without another word or was he going to do the proper thing and tell her the truth?

"It was simple greed," Lewis said in a small voice. His back was turned towards Anna but she could hear his sadness in his voice. "Your father promised to fund my research and everything, provide a wealthy income if I kept quiet."

"So you sacrificed an innocent life in exchange for greed," Anna gave him a disgusted look. "That's the lowest of the low."

"Yes," Lewis said.

Anna couldn't speak. She was too angry to. She walked for the door but stopped when she came face to face with Lewis.

"Oh, just so you know this conversation was recorded," Anna said. "I'm sure the cops would love a recording of it."

"You…you," Lewis puffed up with anger. "You tricked me."

"In a way yes," Anna said. "You deserve it, you slimly piece of filth."

Anna left the prison feeling lower than she has ever felt in her life. So it was true, her father had bribed her doctor ad allowed her sister to face the wrath of their father. So what was she to do now? Both Merida and Doctor Anker suggested she face her sister. Well maybe it was finally time to do that.

* * *

Merida was waiting for Anna back at her apartment. She was currently pacing up and down the apartment, eagerly awaiting the moment Anna walked through the door. Anna had gone to the prison and Merida wished she could have gone with her but Anna had asked to go alone.

"Could you stop?" Kristoff asked in an irritated tone.

He was sitting at the table going over his books for his business. Since Kristoff owned his own business, he had to make sure all his ducks were in a row. It wasn't easy. Kristoff wasn't exactly the best in accounting. So sometimes he did make a few mistakes but thankfully Anna's family accountant was one of the best in Norway and could help out from time to time.

"No," Merida said. "Aren't you nervous?"

"Yes but I have my books to distract me."

Merida opened her mouth to do a snappy reply but the door opened instead. Merida and Kristoff looked over to see a demoralised Anna walk through the door. She looked as if the weight of the world was bearing down on her shoulders. Nobody said or did anything. They all just looked at each other. Anna soon collapsed into the seat next to Kristoff. He put his arm around her and she started to cry into his shoulder.

"That bad huh?" Merida said as she slid into the remaining chair.

"He admitted that it was all for greed," Anna managed to say through her tears. "He sacrificed my sister's life for a bit of money."

"So what do you wanna do?" Kristoff asked her.

"I want to kill him," Anna said.

"I'm sure you'll have to get in line to do that," Merida said. "I read in an article that he 'misdiagnosed'," Merida produced air quotes with her fingers when she said the word, "a woman when she came in to see him. Apparently her husband was poisoning her with arsenic and somehow this went unnoticed. This is only scratching the surface apparently."

"That fucking jerk!" Anna exclaimed. "Oh there is a place reserved for him in hell."

"So now what?" Kristoff asked.

"We find Elsa," Merida said, simply. "I want to get to know my best friend again. It's been eight years since I saw or talked to her. I don't want to make it nine."

"But do we have any clue on where she is?" Anna said. "For all we know, she could be on Mars."

"Well no," admitted Merida. "However we do know a few things."

"Like what?" Kristoff said.

"Like the fact Elsa wanted to be a lawyer. I bet she went to a decent law school so that narrows it down."

"Not really," Anna said. "That's assuming she managed to _get_ into a law school but that's not the issue here. There are thousands and thousands of law schools around the world. What are we going to do? Call every single one of them and ask if they have an Elsa Winters as a past student?"

"True," Merida said biting her lip.

"There is one more thing that we have overlooked," Kristoff said. "What if Elsa changed her name? The Winters family are quite well known. She could have tried to get away from that."

"I doubt it," Merida said. "But Elsa could have gotten married and changed her name that way."

Anna looked a little odd at this. "Elsa….married? Well possibly but I never pictured her as the marrying type."

"There's a lot we don't know about her," Merida replied. "Maybe she is, maybe she isn't."  
"Back to finding Elsa, what are we going to do?" Kristoff asked.

"Hire a private eye?" Anna suggested. "It's probably the only thing we could do."

"But what can a private eye do?" Kristoff said. "We don't have anything to go on. Maybe the three of us do a little digging and see what we can come up with."

"I like that," Anna said. "Let's do it."

"There is one more problem," Merida had suddenly realised something.

"What?" Anna and Kristoff both looked a little terrified.

"What about everyone else. Your aunt, uncle, grandmother, even Rapunzel. Surely they should know?"

"No," Anna said. "Not yet. I think we should keep it to ourselves for now. Besides, I don't know what Elsa would want. Would she want her personal business all over Arendelle? I think we should wait and see what she wants."

"Okay," Merida thought that Anna may be making a mistake. She did think that at least Rapunzel should know but it wasn't her decision.

* * *

Anna was on her Facebook page lazily going through her newsfeed. She sighed as she scrolled by some statuses that her work colleges had posted. There wasn't anything too interesting. Anna had been trying to find something she could use to help locate Elsa for the last couple of days but so far, it hadn't yielded anything. So, she was currently at the end of her tether. That was when Anna decided a little break would do her some good. So that was how she came to find herself on her Facebook page but that didn't stop her from hoping that something was going to strike her with inspiration. Come on, she thought to the universe, just give me something, anything.

A noise soon caused Anna to jump. Wild thoughts entered her brain, was something attacking her, was someone breaking in, was aliens trying to control her mind? However, the source of the noise turned out to be quite mundane. Anna looked wildly around for the source of the noise and soon determined it to be her cell phone. The noise was her phone telling her that someone was trying to call her. When Anna looked at it, she discovered it was her Grandmother (her mother's mother) Magdalena Lindstrӧm who Anna and Elsa called Granny growing up (Grandmother Ingrid Winters was called Grandma). Anna hadn't heard from her in a while so it was nice to get a call from her.

"Hi Granny," Anna said when she picked up the phone. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"Anna, dear, Tyra has put up her photos and she doesn't have any likes on Facebook and somehow this is making her upset," Granny replied. "Could you go through them and give them a like?"

Anna could have rolled her eyes. Tyra, her cousin (the daughter of her mother's sister) who Anna and Elsa didn't have a lot to do with growing up due to their families not being close – as to why, Anna thought maybe it was due to their father distancing himself from his late wife's family. This was a shame because Anna wished she could have known her cousins, aunts and uncles a bit more.

Tyra was a bit (which was putting it mildly) obsessed with being popular especially on social media like Facebook and Twitter (and being a bit of a diva). She was desperate to get followers or likes of any kind – at any cost. Tyra had recently gone over to America and had posted a lot of selfies on her Facebook page. If her Granny was correct and she hasn't got any likes, Tyra would be crawling up the walls waiting for a notification of any sort. She had hundreds of Facebook friends, most of them Tyra had never met (Tyra spent a lot of time online) which only made Anna a bit worried about her internet safety. However, she never said anything because it wasn't her place to.

"Alright," Anna could have laughed. She typed in her cousin's name into the search bar on Facebook and clicked on her page. Tyra's profile picture was one of her many selfies and it was quite trashy which only made Anna roll her eyes again. A few dozen photos of her cousin's trip was the latest post (there were several posts of the trip including a bunch of check ins at restaurants, who she was hanging with, where she was going – that kind of thing). Anna started to scroll through them. Most of them were selfies which Anna grew tired of looking at but true to her word, she went through and liked every single one of them. Thankfully, there were a few pictures of landmarks such as museums or art sculptures that did look interesting.

"What are you looking at?" Kristoff walked through the door with his arms full of paper bags. He had gone shopping for groceries as they had desperately needed. Kristoff placed the paper bags on the kitchen bench and sat down next to his girlfriend.

"Oh Granny asked me to look through a cousin's pictures," Anna said. Her chin was resting on her palm and her elbow was digging into the table. Her words echoed just how bored she was looking through all the countless selfies.

"Who is this cousin?" Kristoff peered at her. "I don't think I've ever set eyes on her."

"Oh Tyra was never a close cousin," Anna said. "Her parents divorced when we were all young and her father returned to the states. Tyra went with him but she does come over from time to time. However, that wasn't all, Dad liked to distance himself from Mum's family, so we didn't see much of Mum's side of the family. In in all, Elsa and I never had much to do with her."

"Ah I see," Kristoff said. "Have fun flicking through the boring photos."

Anna sighed as she flicked through to the next photo which was a selfie on her cousin in a park with a fountain in the background. At least the park was nice. She nearly pressed on the arrow to take her to the next photo but something stopped her. Something had caught her eye. Anna took a closer look at the photo. Something was telling her to. Anna didn't know what but she decided to listen to it. Then, suddenly like wildfire, her eye saw it. Sitting on a bench by the fountain was a girl reading a book. She had her blonde hair done up in a braid that hung over her shoulder. Anna recognised her straight away.

It was Elsa.

 **A/N: Hey guys, I am back and with a new chapter. Sorry been busy - I am graduating on Monday, yaaaaaaaaay. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter - I did manage do some research so what Dr Anker should say in that scene. So Anna finally knows the truth and is trying to find Elsa. This story may seem to be fast moving but we gotta get on with it, so sorry for that. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review!**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **jelsaforever101; I know it takes me a while to update but it takes me a while to get the chapters ready to go.**

 **Zombieslayer; Sorry it takes me a while to update but I do my best.**

 **Guest; The rest is coming!**

 **JackElsaforeve; Aw, what a compliment, yeah it is about time, Merida had the brains to put two and two together to come up with four. Their problems will sort themselves out. Thanks, love ya too.**

 **Blind Red Dragon; What a compliment, thanks for your help again, you are a godsend.**

 **sanaa11; I hope her reaction was to your liking.**

 **Kimchee2222; Of course, I know how much you love my cliff hangers.**

 **FAIRY4LIFE; Giving you more.**

 **start12345; Indeed.**

 **AnthroDragon; Yeah the time skip was a necessary evil at that time. Mine too, glad you liked it. You could say something like that.**

 **Guest; Thanks so much. You're welcome.**

 **williambragg165; Thanks, will try to.**

 **Silent reader; Will try to.**


	20. Finding Elsa

**Chapter 20: Finding Elsa**

The phone dropped from Anna's hand and clattered on the floor. Anna was staring at the photo on her laptop. For a moment, Anna thought that maybe she was hallucinating but it was her. _It was definitely her_. The photo clearly showed that it was Elsa. Anna couldn't believe it. She ran her fingers through her hair. So this was how she was finally going to locate her sister. Anna examined the photo. The location said that the photo was taken in a town called Burgess in America. Anna had never heard of that place but then again, geography wasn't exactly her strong suit. So, Elsa had been in America this entire time?

"Anna?" Kristoff asked her. "Anna?"

Kristoff waved his wand in front of her eyes but she didn't see a thing but the photo. Her eyes were still on Elsa in the photo. Her entire body was focusing on that photo. Anna couldn't believe her eyes. Elsa had gone to America? What was she doing there? Studying? Working? Having that fresh start that she wanted? Or all of the above? Anna then had a crazy thought. It was time to investigate this with her own eyes. She needed to know the truth about this and she needed to know now.

"Anna!" Kristoff waved his hand in front her of eyes more vigorously than before.

"What?" Anna jumped to her feet. She finally had realised that Kristoff had been trying to get her attention. Kristoff looked shocked at her reaction.

"You went into a random trance like state," Kristoff said. "Are you okay?"

"Look," Anna pointed at her screen. Kristoff peered at it for several long seconds. Then a shocked expression came over his face and Anna knew he had seen what she had seen.

"Elsa," he breathed. "But…but….what is she doing in America?"

"I have an idea," Anna's brain had suddenly kicked started. An idea formed in her brain. What if Elsa had gone to America not just to get away from it all and to start a fresh but maybe to start university? After all, that would be her next step. She had left when she was eighteen. Anna knew that Elsa had been looking at universities before she went. "Wait for me here. I think a small trip is in order. I just gotta do one little thing."

Kristoff looked perplexed but didn't say anything. He just stared at his girlfriend. Anna dashed out of the house after grabbing her coat and bag. Kristoff still didn't say a single thing. He just let her go. He knew that she needed to do what she needed to do. She quickened towards her car and jumped into it. Twenty minutes later, she came to her old house – the house which she and Elsa had grown up in. She took a deep breath. She hadn't been here since the shooting of her father. Her body was trembling. Calm yourself Anna, she told herself, it's just a building, _just a building_. However, she remained in her car. She just sat in her seat with her seatbelt still pulled over her chest. She breathed in and out.

Eventually, she didn't know when, she found herself walking towards the house. Her feet were leading her body – her brain was numb. Her shaking fingers reached for code to allow her into the house. She punched in the four numbers – 1123 – the four first digits of the Fibonacci sequence (her father was quite into maths). Somehow her fingers were able to push the door open to reveal the inside of the house. She remained in the hallway – for how long, she couldn't say. Memories of the house poured into her brain – birthdays, Christmases, the whole lot. She could practically see the ghosts of the past running about the house. She could even see her mother coming up towards her with a big grin on her face.

" _Anna, dear, are you okay_?" her mother's voice was so real that it made her jump.

Stop it Anna, she whispered. She had a job to do. She wasn't here for a trip down memory lane. She was here for Elsa.

Anna walked up the staircase – her fingers brushing against the bannister as she walked up the stairs. Anna paused outside Elsa's bedroom. It felt wrong for her to be there. The many years of Elsa pushing her away and not letting her into her bedroom rang loudly in her ears. Elsa would have gone ballistic if she knew that her little sister was entering her room without permission. She forced herself to ignore it. She was doing this for Elsa. The bedroom door swung open at a slow pace as if it was hesitant to reveal its secrets.

Inside Elsa's bedroom was what Anna expected to see. There was her bed, bookcases, a closet and her desk. It looked nearly identical to how Anna remembered it from all those years ago. Anna sat down at Elsa's desk and sighed. She gazed at the empty space on Elsa's desk. Elsa obviously took her laptop with her when she left which was a shame as that would have important information on it that would have been useful for Anna to do a little digging. Alright, Anna told herself, if I was Elsa where would I hide stuff? Anna started to search everywhere. She started in the bookcases. Elsa was an avid book lover so maybe she hid stuff in a book. Anna tore down book after book but nothing. Next, she looked in the closet but she only found leftover clothes and other stuff that Elsa left. Anna even looked under Elsa's mattress but still, nothing.

Well that only left one place left; her desk. Anna thought that it would have been too obvious for Elsa to have left anything there so that was why she left it for last. If Elsa had wanted to keep anything from their father, their desk may have been not the place to have kept anything that was worth hiding. It was too out in the open. Well maybe Elsa may have left something there after all so she opened the drawers. Anna searched through all of them but there was nothing. Anna sighed. It was a longshot, she knew that. Maybe nothing was here after all. She leaned back in the chair and sighed. Was this a just a waste of time? Anna sighed once more. However, there was a feeling inside her stomach. Something told Anna to check the drawers again. She didn't know what was guiding her but it had been right so far. Anna opened the drawers again but this time she took a more thorough look. This time, she was rewarded for her efforts.

The top drawer on the right had a false bottom. Anna was surprised to see it. So Elsa was hiding things in plain sight after all. Their father wouldn't likely have looked much deeper than the false bottom. She took it out and underneath it was a series of brochures. Anna took these out and looked at them. They were all from universities. So Elsa had been looking at universities. That didn't surprise Anna nor did surprise her that Elsa had these hidden. Anna knew that their father was trying to plan her future and perhaps even hers when she got a little older. Well, if Elsa was hiding them it meant that their father didn't want Elsa deciding on what she did with her future. Looking back, he had been quite a controlling man when it came to that subject. Abusers like to control their victims so that wasn't a surprise. Maybe their father wanted Elsa close so that he could keep her under his thumb.

When Anna flicked through the brochures, one instantly jumped out at her. It was for the University of Burgess. Burgess, was that where Elsa was? The photo had Elsa taken in it was taken in the same place. Anna opened the brochure and saw that it had one of the best law schools in the world. Anna knew that Elsa wanted to be a lawyer and so a world class law school would be where she wanted to go and according this brochure it was one of the best in the world. Anna stared and stared at the brochure. There were writings all over it – what looked like usernames and passwords – in Elsa's handwriting. The other's didn't which told Anna that Elsa had been planning on attending this university. So this was where her sister had gone after she had been acquitted. This had been where she made new friends, made new memories and tried to get through what had happened to her. Tears flooded her eyes and dripped onto the brochure.

Anna didn't know how she managed to get back to her apartment. Her feet carried her all the way. Her brain was miles and miles away. She kept thinking about her sister. Eight years ago, her sister left Arendelle and travelled to Burgess. She must have been planning it a while. The brochure proved that.

"So," Kristoff said when Anna opened the door to their apartment walked inside, "what was your idea?" For an answer, Anna showed him the brochure. Kristoff took it and gave it a good looking over. "So, she went for university. Why does that not surprise me? Are you planning a trip out there?"

"Well, actually no, not to the university anyway, Elsa would have graduated by now," Anna said. "I just wanted to know what Elsa's life was like. This gave me a small insight into it and I want further insights."

"You miss her," Kristoff said simply.

"Yes," Anna admitted. She sighed and dug her hands deep into her pockets. "I never wanted to admit it. Hating her was just easier I guess. Holding onto that hate was even easier but somewhere along that way, deep down, I realise that I did actually miss her. She was a good sister which was something else I definitely did not want to admit. She tried to keep me out of trouble – Hans, my dad, to name a few. I just didn't see that. Instead I took our relationship as face value – the fact that she locked me out, the fact that she never seem to want to be around me – I guess I took it to mean that she hated me and so I found it easy to return the hate."

More tears came out her eyes. Kristoff pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"Off to Burgess?" he asked her as rubbed a few tears from her eyes.

"Off to Burgess," Anna repeated and she nodded, "but first, we gotta find out where that photo was taken. Otherwise, we could just be on a wild goose chase."

Anna pulled out her cell phone and dialled Tyra's number. The phone rang several times before her cousin answered.

" _Hey cuz_ ," Tyra's American accent came out Anna's phone. " _Been a while since we chatted._ "

"Yeah, wasn't it at your mum's wedding five years ago?" Anna said.

" _Hard to be excited at your mother's third wedding,_ " Tyra said. " _So I gather this isn't a social call_."

"No, sorry cuzzie," Anna said. "I want to know where you went in Burgess. You see, Kristoff and I were planning a trip away for our anniversary and we need to get away. The photos you took in Burgess looked amazing – small and quiet seem perfect for a nice relaxing time away from the hustle and bustle here."

" _I wouldn't exactly call Arendelle a place of hustle and bustle,_ " Tyra gave a small short laugh. _"I would have said it was the poster child of a small and quiet."_

"So where did you go?"

* * *

"Whatcha doing?" a small knock and a friendly voice brought Elsa's attention away from painting her kitchen and towards the door that was open. Standing in the doorway was Moana. She was leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded and had a smile stretching across her face.

"Well judging by the paint splatters across my clothes and the paintbrush in my hand with paint next to me, I would say I was playing chess."

Moana laughed. "Yeah, I guess it was a little obvious."

"So," Elsa put down her paintbrush and walked over to Moana, "what brings you down the hall?"

"I was wondering what you and Jack are doing on Saturday," Moana asked with her smile growing even larger.

"Dunno," Elsa shrugged. "Nothing probably, pourquoi mon amie?"

"Well how about that sailing trip?" Moana suggested. "I'm training for the next couple of days, so Saturday is really the first day I can do it."

"Well, I'm game," Elsa said. "Will be nice to get back onto the water."

"Your dad owned a boat right?" Moana asked before Elsa nodded. "Cool! Anyway, just dropped by to let you know. Saturday at noon! Don't be late!"

Moana quickly dashed off and almost bumped into Jack who was on his way home from work. He looked confused as Moana raced off without saying anything but a hurried 'sorry'. Jack walked into the apartment and threw his coat onto the kitchen counter.

"What did she want?" he asked as Elsa resumed painting of the kitchen.

They were getting closer and closer with the painting job being finished. Somehow the job was taking care of itself. Well, Elsa and Jack managed to rope Astrid, Jamie and Bunnymund to help out.

"To know what we are doing this Saturday," Elsa replied.

"Not that blasted sailing trip," Jack whined. Elsa could have laughed. Jack really wasn't a water man and Elsa didn't understand why Jack loved everything to do with ice and snow like her but try and get him onto a boat was an impossible task. Maybe it was because the last time Jack was on a boat (when they went fishing with some of Jack's co-workers about six months ago) he got very seasick. Elsa gathered that he did not want to repeat the experience. He definitely did not like being off land. Elsa, on the other hand, was the opposite. She loved getting on a boat and going on an adventure on the open waters.

"Oh come on," Elsa gave him a wide smile. "It will be fun."

"No it won't," Jack crossed his arms and gave his wife a scowl which Elsa just laughed at.

"Would you rather spend the day here painting?"

"Good point," Jack said which made Elsa laugh even harder.

* * *

" _Flight 702 from Arendelle to Burgess has now arrived,_ " the voice of the captain over the intercom said. " _The weather is nice twenty four degrees Celsius and the sun is shining. Please take care when exiting the plane. Thank you for flying with Air Norway. We hope to fly with you again._ "

Anna grabbed her bag from the overhead compartments and followed Kristoff off the plane. She and Kristoff had called in some of their leave time in order to come to Burgess as quickly as possible as Anna wanted to find her sister as quickly as humanely possible. They had left on a late Friday night – slept on the plane – and had arrived in Burgess on a gorgeous Saturday morning. Anna couldn't stop her heart pounding. It felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest. The reason was because she was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. She could be seeing her sister soon but that was also terrifying. What was she going to say to her? Was she going to be angry? Sad? Or happy? Who knew? Regardless, Anna still had to try. She needed to mend bridges no matter how difficult.

Anna and Kristoff left the plane and headed straight to their hotel – The Burgess Hotel – they were exhausted from the long plane ride but it didn't matter. There was no time for rest. They needed to get going as soon as possible. Anna pulled open the door to room 5617 which was their room number. Their room was a decent size. One large double bed dominated the room with a TV set opposite it. There was a nice closet where Anna placed both their suitcases to get them out of the way and there was also a good bathroom for them to freshen up. Kristoff opened up the sliding door to reveal a small balcony that looked down onto a garden. Anna threw herself onto the double bed and bounced up and down. A giggle escaped her mouth which made her boyfriend smile.

"Having fun are we?" Kristoff asked.

"Maybe," Anna giggled again.

"So now what?" Kristoff asked as he plopped onto the bed next to her.

"Now we find Elsa!"

* * *

"Nice boat Moana!" Elsa said as she examined it.

"Thanks," Moana smiled. "So come on, I'll give you a tour!"

Moana's boat was medium size sailing boat. When they disappeared beneath the main deck they found a spacious living quarter complete with bed and a small kitchen, presumably for Moana when she was on her sailing expeditions. It couldn't host more than a couple of people for long periods of time. Elsa also spotted several cool gadgets for when Moana was out on the ocean. There was plenty of space on deck, however, for all three of them including Moana's parents who had decided to join them.

They had travelled – by train – to New York early in the morning so that Moana could take them out on her boat on the wide open seas. Moana wanted to share her love of the sea with the two Frosts which was well received – well by Elsa anyway. Jack wasn't having much of it. He wasn't a good sailor and it was showing. Maybe Jack should have stayed home and painted the apartment after all. He could have had some fun with North and Bunnymund who had both volunteered to help with the apartment. Although, Jack hated painting, he said that the fumes got to him and made him feel ill. Well, it turned out that he was in a lose/lose situation. Poor Jack. Nothing was going his way today.

"So what's on the agenda?" Jack asked who was already looking a little green.

"Just a small trip and maybe some fishing?" Moana suggested.

"You okay Jack?" Sina asked as she peered at him. "You're looking a little seasick."

"He'll be okay," Elsa said. "He's had those sealegs tablet things."

"Remember that's the stern of the boat," Tui said, gesturing with his thumb. "When you wretch, that's where you gotta be unless you wanna get a face full later."

"Gross dad," Moana made a face but then smiled. "Let's get sailing!"

Soon, Elsa found herself on the seas with the wind blowing through her hair. Memories of her childhood streamed through her mind. The same sense of freedom that flowed through her then, flowed through her now. Elsa could have laughed out loud but she restrained – well until she took notice of her husband. He was looking quite green and standing at the back of the boat. Maybe Jack wasn't fit for sea journeys after all. The boat was sailing very smoothly so it wasn't the rough seas that were causing the sea sickness.

"You okay hun?" Elsa asked him when she headed over to him so that she could check on him.

"I think so," Jack said while Elsa gave him a sympathetic expression.

"Elsa, you busy?" Moana's voice called out. "I could use some help."

"Sure!" Elsa quickened over to her.

Moana gave her some simple instructions while Elsa set things up. Moana was going to sail them up and down the coast before they headed back. The whole thing was going to take several hours. Moana was planning on showing them some sights from the sea which Elsa was eager to see.

"Fancy being the navigator?" Moana asked.

"Sure!" Elsa said. "But don't you have a GPS?"

"I like to navigate old school style," Moana said. "The truth is I'm practicing to become a master Wayfinder – like my ancestors!"

Moana grinned at Elsa while she looked confused.

"Wayfinder?" Elsa asked.

"So you know how the Polynesians were like master voyagers?" Moana asked while Elsa nodded. "They travelled the wide Pacific Ocean using no advanced techniques or technology – they used like stone tools and wooden boats. These techniques are the ones I'm using. My ancestors used the stars to map where they are. No need for GPS!"

"Well the Polynesians were definitely some of the best voyagers in history."

"Right you are," Moana winked at her. "So that is why I try not using modern technology."

"Ah cool."

"My teacher Maui thinks I'm gonna go far."

"Maui? Isn't that the Polynesian trickster god?

Moana laughed. "Yeah, he lived up the name too. So Elsa, let's see how good you are at navigating."

"There's no stars. It's daylight."

"We can read the wind on the skies when the sun is high," Moana sang out.

"Forgive me if I prefer modern technology."

Moana laughed again. "It's okay, we can use a map after all. I'm sure my ancestors used them."

Tui handed Elsa some maps and Elsa studied them. They weren't very complicated to make out. She could see the places that Moana wanted to show them.

"Okay, Moana, you want to go port side."

Many hours later, they had docked back at the port. All of them we tired, hungry and – in Jack's case – sick. Jack hadn't had quite the adventure that his wife had. He had been sick for most of the journey. Maybe the next time that Moana invites them out on the boat, Jack should stay at home. However, Elsa loved the trip. Sometimes she felt like she had sailing in her blood. She was actually quite good at it. Moana was singing her praises. Elsa gathered that she had made a friend for life in Moana and her family.

"So what are you guys gonna do now?" Tui asked them.

"Maybe go back home?" Elsa shrugged. "Caroline – my mother-in-law – is probably hard at work concocting dinner."

Tui laughed. "Moana has to sign up for the competition, so we are heading off now. They've done a late night sign up this year."

"Good luck!" Elsa sang.

"Thanks," Moana said.

Elsa and Jack watched the retreating backs of their three new friends. She grinned. It was going to be fun with them next door – even if it was only going to be for a short while. Who knows, this could turn into a pen pal thing. She never had one of them before. It could be fun. There was something special about getting a letter in the mail or maybe an email. Sending letters around the world may be expensive.

"Elsa?" Jack's voice said, bringing Elsa back to the planet earth.

"Yeah honey?" Elsa replied to him.

"Next time they invite us onto their boat, please, _do not invite me_!"

Elsa laughed. He did have a point.

* * *

Anna sighed as she collapsed in the park. It had been hours since she and Kristoff had left their hotel room. They had wandered around the park that Elsa had been in the photo all day and found nothing. Anna didn't know how many people she talked to but none of them could identify Elsa – both Anna and Kristoff had brought a picture along and was asking people if they knew her. It wasn't going very well. It was starting to cause Anna to become very disheartened. She thought that she would come here, find Elsa and make up by the end of the day. However, reality decided to pay her a visit. Of course it wasn't going to be like that. She felt silly for thinking so.

Anna sighed again. She can't keep doing this. She needed a plan. Anna pulled out her phone and looked at the area. Maybe by examining the area may give her some clues to where they should look next. Anna had a feeling that Elsa was around that area. She had this theory that the park was one that Elsa frequented. Elsa did look quite cosy in that photo. Anna brought up the maps and studied them. There were several coffee shops around that park. Hmm, maybe that should be her next destination. Down the road from the park were apartment buildings. Could Elsa live in them? Hmm, would be tricky. Anna couldn't waltz up to these buildings. There would be security such as codes to get into the door as well as the doorman not likely giving away personal information about its tenants and besides, Elsa's name may not be on the letterbox.

"Anna?" Kristoff collapsed onto the bed next to her.

"Yeah?" Anna acknowledged Kristoff.

"What's the plan?"

"I think we should check out some of the local coffee shops," Anna said, her eyes never leaving her phone. "Who knows, maybe one of the regulars or the workers may be able to point us in the right direction."

"You sure that she lives around here? She may have come this way to visit a friend or maybe for like a job interview?"

Kristoff was dead on the money. How did she know that Elsa wasn't just popping into the neighbourhood instead of living here? Well, Anna had a deep gut feeling that was driving her. However she did have her reasons. Anna pulled out the photo and showed it to Kristoff. He looked a little confused as to why Anna was doing this.

"Elsa is reading a book in the photo," Anna explained. "This could just be me but I doubt she would take a book to a park she wasn't familiar with which means that this would be a park she comes to quite often. In my head, that means that she lives in the area. That's just my opinion."

"Logical to me," Kristoff said.

So that was how both Anna and Kristoff found themselves in Burgess Coffee Shop the next morning. It was the third coffee shop they had been in behind Starbucks and Sophia's Bistro but nothing. No one had recognised Elsa. Neither the regulars nor the staff did. Well the staff probably see a hundred people a day so it wasn't a surprise there. The regulars probably only pay attention to what they're doing and not what others are up to, so again, no surprises there. So what was a girl to do? Anna didn't know. Still, Anna persevered. You never know what could be right around the corner.

Anna approached the counter while Kristoff walked around asking people. Anna was a little nervous. She always got a little tongue tied when talking about her sister. It froze up her brain as well.

"Can I help you?" the girl behind the counter said in a friendly tone with a smile on her face.

Anna gulped before gaining some confidence. "Yes, I was wondering if you know this girl."

Anna pulled out the picture of Elsa and showed it to the girl. The girl stared at it, rubbed her chin and stared at the picture.

"Looks familiar but I couldn't say," the girl said. "Hey Brad, Toni, come look at this and see if you know this girl."

Two fellow employees walked over from the coffee machines. They took a look at the picture and shrugged.

"Couldn't say," Brad said.

"I think she comes in with that girl Tooth," Toni said. "I remember because I did a double take at the name but I think it was just a nickname, why she was called that, I couldn't say."

"Where can I find this Tooth?" Anna was weirded out by the name but she was sure, like Toni, it was just a nickname. Maybe she was a dentist or orthodontist or something.

"Dunno," Toni shrugged. "She comes in every other week but I haven't seen her in a while."

"So she hasn't been in today?"

"Nope," Toni shook her head.

"Do you reckon she will?"

"No," the first girl suddenly spoke up. It looked like she remembered something. "I just remembered that she and her fiancé are in Australia. I remember because she wouldn't shut up about it."

Anna could feel her heart sinking. Her only possible lead was gone – on a different continent and hemisphere. So what was she going to do now?

"Thanks anyway," Anna slumped away.

She sat down on a bench outside the coffee shop. Maybe Kristoff was having more luck than her. Last time she saw him, he was talking to a guy at the back of the shop. It looked like quite the intriguing conversation. Kristoff had been grinning and nodding. Anna was just hoping that the guy was giving him some good information. Kristoff emerged from the coffee shop ten minutes later. He certainly took his time.

"Well?" Anna asked.

Kristoff shook his head and Anna's heart sank even further.

"What about that guy you were chatting to?" Anna asked him.

"Oh we were discussing strategies in For Honor."

Anna could have rolled her eyes but didn't. Well, that was a cool game so maybe she could forgive him. However, this begged the same question again; what was she going do now? The answer to that was that she doesn't know.

* * *

Astrid Hofferman walked down the street towards Hawthorne Circle – the street which Elsa and Jack lived. She hadn't seen them in a while due to her being busy not only with her job as a reptile keeper and battle re-enactment helper and also her wedding plans. So that was why she was walking down Hawthorne Circle on a sunny Sunday.

"Hey Elsa," she said as she walked into her friend's apartment.

"Yo," Elsa walked towards Astrid.

Elsa had been painting her walls. It looked like she was nearly done with her living room and kitchen and was going to move onto the finishing the kitchen. Astrid made a whistling sound that showed that she was impressed with Elsa's work. Elsa had done a really good job on choosing the colours. For the kitchen, she had chosen a light grey colour while in the living room was a shade of blue.

"Like it?" Elsa asked.

"Love it," Astrid grinned at her friend.

"Wanna help?" Elsa held up a paintbrush to temp her friend.

Astrid laughed. "No way. Besides, I only have a minute to say hi. I'm meeting a co-worker for lunch around here in about ten minutes but I thought I would pop round to see how the painting is going."

"It's going great," Elsa said.

"So after the painting, what's next?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa gave Astrid a confused look.

"Well you and Jack have been married for over year now, ever think what's next in your life?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elsa was still confused.

"What about having kids one day?" Astrid looked eager. "I wanna have a cute godson or goddaughter."

"What makes you think you're gonna be the godmother?" Elsa cocked her eyebrow at her friend. "Besides, kids are way into the future." Elsa really stretched out the word 'way'.

"I know Jack wants kids," Astrid giggled. "Also I would bet good money that Caroline wouldn't say no to some grandkids."

"They are going to have to wait. I am only twenty six after all. Still plenty of time to have kids."

"True," Astrid shrugged her shoulders. "Hiccup wants kids too one day. Maybe after we are married and have settled down."

"Yeah," Elsa agreed. "I want some time to myself before getting into the crazy world of having children."

Astrid laughed again. "So what _is_ next for you two?"

"Jack and I have thought about travelling. I would love to go back to Europe."

"See your family?"

"Hell no," Elsa shook her head. "I never want to set foot in Norway ever again."

Astrid looked a little shocked at Elsa's words but didn't say anything. That sounded a little extreme to her but decided against pushing the subject. Talking to Elsa about this subject was touchy for her. Astrid knew why – it was to do with her father and Astrid didn't blame her for thinking the way she did. Her father had tainted that part of the world for her – permanently. However, Astrid thought that maybe going back to Arendelle and facing her family – maybe even telling them the truth – but she doubted that Elsa would do that. She instead decided on going to her meeting with her co-worker instead of jumping down this rabbit hole. It was almost time for her to go anyway.

Astrid makes her excuses to Elsa – her words had caused the room to become very chilly anyway – who looked sad to see her go. Astrid got into the elevator of Elsa's building and headed down to the ground floor before heading out onto the street beyond. Astrid checked her phone. She had a text from her co-worker saying that she was going to be a few minutes late. Astrid sent off a text saying that she will be there soon before her phone suddenly died only mere moments after the text sent.

"Fuck my life," Astrid whispered. It was her own fault. She had forgotten to charge it overnight and there hadn't been a lot of battery left anyway. Astrid sighed as she put the phone back in her bag. Well, she hoped that maybe once she was back at work she would be able to charge it. If not, she would be in serious trouble for the rest of the day – like now, if she couldn't find her friend there would be no easy way for Astrid to contact her. Astrid continued to walk down the street when she accidently bumped into a girl.

"Sorry," both girls said to each other.

When Astrid finally got back on feet, she took a good look at the girl and got a shock. She thought she recognised the girl but didn't know why or where she saw her from. The girl had strawberry blonde hair that was done up in two braids. Her blue eyes looked familiar too – like they reminded her of someone. Why was the girl familiar to Astrid? Had she seen her somewhere before? Maybe at university or maybe at work? It was on the tip of her tongue. Where had she seen here?

"Are you okay?" the girl asked Astrid.

"Sorry," Astrid said. She had realised she had been staring. That would have appeared odd to the girl. "It's just that you remind me of someone."

"I guess I have one of those faces," the girl smiled. "Hey, are you around here often?"

"Yeah," Astrid shrugged. She was kind of especially since Elsa and Jack had just moved in. She hadn't been in this neighbourhood before then. "Why?"

"Do you know this girl?" the girl produced of a photo of a girl and it wasn't any girl. It was Elsa. Astrid gave a small gasp. Why was the girl showing around a picture of Elsa? Astrid didn't know.

"Yeah I do," Astrid said. "Are you looking for her?"

"Yep," the girl nodded and looked quite excited. There was something seriously bothering Astrid. How did she know this girl? "So where can I find her?"

Then it hit her. She knew why she knew the girl now. It wasn't just anyone that Astrid had bumped into – it was Elsa's sister Anna. Astrid remembered her now. She had seen her in a photo that Elsa had shown Astrid years ago but what was she doing here? Astrid always thought that the sisters were estranged – they haven't spoken in years after all and Elsa certainly wasn't in any rush to get reacquainted. Anna was part of Elsa's past – a past that Elsa didn't want to acknowledge or go back to.

"Anna?" Astrid said which threw Anna off her game. It was clear she wasn't expecting Astrid to know her name.

"How do you know my name?" Anna looked a little confused.

"I know your sister quite well," Astrid explained. "We are friends."

"Friends?" Anna said, she sounded as if she had just won the lottery. "What can you tell me about her? Where is she working? Any relationships? Other friends?"

Anna's voice was fast and feverish. All the words just came out of her mouth in one long continuous breath. Astrid didn't know if she caught everything that Anna had said but she hoped she did.

"Calm down," Astrid said.

"Sorry," Anna said. "It's just that I need to know about my sister. I haven't seen her in nearly a decade."

"So is that why you're here? To know about her?"

"And to apologise," Anna said, her face falling. "I don't know how much you know but I am sad to say that I was a real jerk to her. I need her to know that I am sorry. So I need to know where she is before it's too late. I want a relationship with her. I don't want another day to go by where she hates me. Can you help me?"

Astrid weighed it up in her mind. Her brain was spit in two. She knew that Elsa needed to make amends with her sister if she was ever going to get past this and start her healing and moving on. Astrid knew only a little about Anna. Elsa didn't like to talk about her much and so Astrid always got the feeling that they were never on good terms which Anna just confirmed. The only real time that Elsa talked about Anna was about five years ago when she showed her a photo of Anna. Astrid had asked a few questions but Elsa didn't go into much detail. Astrid had never found out what happened between the sisters though but she guessed that Elsa hid their father's abuse from her sister and that might have caused Elsa to be distance and cold kind of like how she is whenever Arenelle is mentioned.

However, Anna had said that she was a real jerk to her so maybe there was fault on both sides. Astrid knew that Elsa was in recovery – she still saw the same therapist she did in university – and a part of that was to face what happened and admit it. She always thought that Elsa's solution was to run from the problem instead of facing it like how she moved to America to get away from it all in Arendelle. That was the main reasoning behind telling Anna where to find Elsa.

On the other hand, if Astrid did tell Anna the truth would Elsa see it in the same light as her or would it be stabbing Elsa in the back? Astrid knew that Elsa didn't want anything more to do with her family or Arendelle so telling Anna where Elsa lived would be in direct violation of that. Elsa was one of Astrid's closest friends. Astrid could never hurt her and she knew seeing Anna would hurt her bad – maybe send her into a depressive state like she had in the past (Astrid knew all about Elsa's depression after all, after the whole episode with Jack's father there was no secrets in their friend's circle). Would it cause all that pain to come back right at the moment where Elsa was starting to get her life back together? Probably it would and that would make it all that worse.7k,

Astrid knew what she had to do alright. It would hurt Elsa to see her sister but it would hurt her more if she didn't face what had happened. Astrid may lose Elsa over this, Elsa may see it as a major betrayal but Astrid had to fight for the greater good. For years, she has tried to get Elsa to face her past but alas, it fell on deaf ears. Elsa was quite stubborn when it came to this and Astrid knew why. Elsa was scared to face the truth. She was scared to face the past. Elsa may be forced to do those things but it was for the best.

Astrid then was struck by a nasty though; should this be her decision though? Did she have a right to let Anna into Elsa's life when she so clearly knew that Elsa didn't want it? Surely, it should be Elsa's decision whether or not she wanted a relationship with her sister? If she did, she would have done it by now. So what should Astrid do? Astrid sighed. It may be against everything she held – loyalty for friends, breaking trusts, breaking rules – but she knew she had to do it.

"You okay?" Anna's voice snapped Astrid back to reality. Astrid blinked and stared at Anna. She realised that she had been quiet for several minutes.

"You got a pen and paper?" Astrid asked Anna.

* * *

Anna could have skipped to Hawthorne Circle where that lady – Astrid as she had introduced herself to be – said that Elsa was now living. It was finally time for Anna's atonement hour to arrive. Anna had to set on a bench to catch her breath. It was starting to be too much. The last time she had seen Elsa hadn't been a great moment for the pair of them. Elsa had gone ballistic on her. It had been after their father's funeral. Anna had suffered a few minor injuries after that scrap. Obviously, something had triggered her sister. It didn't surprise Anna in the least to know that Elsa has PTSD.

Anna breathed in deeply. The air travelled down into the deepest parts of her lungs and calmed her down. She often wondered what this moment was going to be like. Would her sister be glad to see her? Would she slam the door in her face and tell her to never darken her doorstep ever again? Well, Anna just hoped she could plead her case. She missed her sister and it wasn't just her – Rapunzel, Merida, Kristoff and the rest of her family did as well. Anna felt the wind brush gently across as she stared up at the sky, her thoughts wandered back to the last time she saw her. What was her sister like now? What kind of life did she lead? Well, if she was ever going to answer that question and to beg for forgiveness was ever going to happen, she was going to have to get off this bench and walk up to Elsa's door and knock. However, that was going to be a mission. She was going to need to summon up every bit of strength she had to do this.

Anna took in a deep breath in and headed into Elsa's building. That girl – Astrid – had given her instructions on how to get into Elsa's building. There was a combination to get into the building. Anna punched in the numbers – 6347 – and then opened the door when she heard a buzzing sound that signalled the door was unlocked. Anna ducked inside and walked passed a women working at the reception desk. She had her head down and was working on some sheet of paper. Anna didn't want to be questioned by her just in case it was she wasn't allowed entry into the building. An elevator was just ahead. Anna pressed the 'up' button and waited, rather impatiently, for the elevator to arrive. She did a little jig while she waited. What was taking the elevator so long? Anna let out a small groan.

Finally a 'ding' sound was heard and the elevator on the left (there were two) opened up to reveal an empty elevator. Anna hurried in and pressed the button for Elsa's level – level four. The elevator soon opened up onto Elsa's floor. Anna hurried down until she found apartment 4C – Elsa's apartment. Anna took another breath in.

She knocked on the door.

* * *

Elsa was currently painting her living room. The room was a mess. There were tarps laid out all over the floor and there were paint splatters all over including her clothes and skin. Well, at least they were old. She was just wearing an old oversized shirt and some very old jeans. The only thing that was lifting her spirits was that the work would soon be over. All the extra help from her friends really made a difference and hurried along the time. Her phone beeped. Elsa put down her brush and washed the paint off hands. She didn't want paint all over her new phone. Elsa picked it up and read the message. It was from Jack. Elsa grinned when she saw it.

 _Ugh, you know it's a boring day when you wish you were painting._

Elsa laughed out loud when she read it. She quickly typed out a replied.

 _How ironic because I would rather not be painting._

Another ping from her phone.

 _Maybe we should rethink hiring a painter?_

Elsa quickly replied.

 _There isn't much point in that now as it's almost done. Besides, I seem to recall that you wanted to do this yourself and I'm not seeing much of that._

Jack replied back to Elsa's text was almost instant.

 _I plead the fifth on this._

Elsa laughed at this. She was about to reply to Jack when she heard a knock on the door. Elsa was puzzled as who that could be. Could it be Astrid returning? Did she forget something? Elsa didn't think so. She certainly didn't see anything Astrid left behind.

"Astrid, is that you?" Elsa called out.

She headed over to the door and pulled it open. When she opened it, she stopped dead. To say she had the biggest shock in the history of the universe was an understatement. She couldn't fathom the sight that lay before her. The person she saw at her door was the last person she ever expected to show up on her doorstep.

It was Anna.

"Hey," Anna whispered.

What was she doing here? Why was she here? Elsa didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. Her brain had shut off. Her heart was hammering. She could feel the blood pounding through her veins. All that was going through her brain was one word; run. Elsa quickly slammed the door in Anna's face. She had to get away from Anna. She couldn't face her sister. She just couldn't.

Suddenly, Elsa's legs gave away. Elsa slid down the door and started to cry.

* * *

Anna watched as the door to Elsa's apartment swing open. Then suddenly her sister was standing before her. It was the first time she had seen her sister in over nine years. She still looked the same. The same blue eyes, the same blonde braid the hung down her shoulder and the same frightened look on her face.

"Hey," Anna said in a voice that was barely more than a whisper.

That was all Anna could get out. Her voice got stuck in her throat. She didn't know how to react. The sister she once knew wasn't the real Elsa Winters. The real Elsa Winters was someone who endured pain for eighteen years – pain that Anna never saw or even heard a whiff about.

Anna was soon met with a door slammed in her face. When Elsa had realised who was standing in front of her, she had shut it. Anna didn't blame her. Their relationship wasn't the best. Henry VIII had a better relationship with the Catholic Church than Anna did with Elsa. So it wasn't a surprise what Elsa's reaction was.

Anna tapped on the door, gently. "Elsa, it's me. Could you open the door? I really need to talk to you."

There was no response. Anna could hear Elsa crying through the door. Seeing Anna must have brought up bad memories. Anna knocked on the door, harder this time.

"Elsa!" Anna called out. "Please, Elsa."

Still nothing. Was Elsa just going to ignore her for the rest of their lives? Well, to be honest, Anna wouldn't blame here. Anna did treat Elsa like dirt for a lot of the time Anna knew her –not to mention that Anna blamed her for their father's death. Well, in defence, Anna was grieving for their father and she didn't know the full story but was that just excuses Anna was making to excuse her behaviour? Perhaps.

Anna knocked on the door one last time.

"Elsa," Anna's voice was lower this time. "Please, I am not going away." There was a small silence but there was still nothing. Anna didn't know what to say next but she pressed on anyway but this time in an even smaller voice. "Elsa, I know about the abuse. I know what Dad did to you."

There was a silence. Anna leaned on the door.

"Please Elsa," Anna said in a whisper.

There was a small silence before Anna heard the door creak open. Anna was relieved that Elsa had finally decided to talk to her.

"You know?" Elsa said in a voice that was barely a whisper through a slit in the door.

"I do," Anna whispered back.

Elsa hesitated as if she was contemplating of what she should do. Anna just hovered there, desperately hoping that Elsa would let her in and allow them to talk. After what seemed an age, Elsa stepped back and allowed Anna to walk into her apartment. Anna walked in and was surprised at what she saw. There were paint tarps, brushes and paints all over the apartment. Anna saw paint splatters all over Elsa's shirt and pants. It didn't take a genius to see what Elsa was doing.

"You're redecorating," Anna noted as she looked around the room.

"Yes," Elsa said. "Tea?"

Elsa was hovering by the kettle – it seemed that she didn't know what to say or do. Anna knew how she felt because that was how she felt. How was she supposed to communicate with her sister? Anna didn't know how to be around Elsa anymore. Well, did she really know her sister? Anna just stood there in the apartment while Elsa made tea. There was a really uncomfortable silence that hung in the room. It was so thick; you could cut it with a knife. The only sound that could be heard was Elsa making the tea and then the kettle boiling. Elsa put two cups of tea on a little table that was in the living room and in front of the kitchen. Anna hesitated at first but then sat down.

More silence as they both drunk their tea. Anna's eyes were fixed on her sister who was determinedly looking anywhere but in Anna's direction. Anna wanted to say something but what could she say? Hundreds of topics went through her mind but all of them seemed weak and pathetic. She looked over at her older sister. Elsa was still determinedly not looking at Anna. Anna looked wildly around for a topic of conversation, anything would do. Her eyes landed back onto the paint brush that was sitting in a paint bucket.

"Nice place you got here," Anna said after several minutes.

"Thanks," Elsa's voice was low and soft. "I've been here for only a short while."

Silence fell between them once again. They really didn't know how to be sisters anymore. Well, did they know how to be in the first place? Too much has happened between them. Anna decided to just get into it – jump right into why she was there. It couldn't be anymore awkward than it could be so maybe it was just for the best to jump right into the deep end and ask Elsa her questions. Elsa was probably wondering when she was going to anyway.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Anna finally blurted out. "Why didn't you say something to me or….or…..grandma…or….or Uncle Klaus? Anyone!"

Elsa stared hard at her cup of tea and slightly stirred it with the teaspoon that was still in there. "Would they have believed me?"

Anna felt stumped. Would she have believed Elsa? If Elsa had come to her years ago and told her what had been going on, would she have accepted? Anna did not believe Merida when she came to her. In fact, she adamantly denied it.

"No," Anna admitted.

"See?" Elsa said.

"I would have eventually believed you though," god, it sounded like Anna was trying to backtrack on what she said. Nevertheless, she ploughed on. "I do admit, when I found out, it was hard to believe but then everything made sense – the fact that you always seemed to injure yourself, the reason why you never got close to anyone, your constant injuries over the years."

"True," Elsa sighed. Then she realised something. "How did you find out?"

"Merida," Anna said simply.

" _Merida_?!" Elsa looked both shocked and confused. "How does she know? I never said anything to her."

"Well you should have," Anna said. "Merida would have believed you in a heartbeat." Anna gave Elsa a small look before she rambled on. "Well Merida remembered something about your past – it was a PE lesson in which you had bruises all over your body. She then realised that they were the result of child abuse when she saw a little girl at the hospital in the same bruises on her body. She put two and two together –"

"And came up with four," Elsa finished. "I guess she knew more than I ever gave her credit for."

"Yeah she did."

"Who else knows?" Elsa asked. "You've probably told Kristoff."

"I have," Anna admitted. "He is the only other one we've told though."

"Not even Rapunzel?" Elsa looked a little confused. "I would have betted good money that Merida would have told her something."

"Well she is in the dark like the rest of the family," Anna said. "Speaking of, when are you coming back home?"

"Home?" Elsa looked confused.

"I thought that you ran away because you couldn't face our family. Now you can as you have me on your side. We can face them together."

"Anna," Elsa took a deep breath in, "I _am_ home. It was a lot more than just not being able to face my family, it was more to do with Arendelle being filled with bad memories for me. Every day, there would be something that reminds me of what happened to me. Here, I could start over and not be that person I once was; the girl who was abused growing up and had to escape. Here, I am just…well…me."

Anna fell silent. She realised that Elsa was telling the truth but did this mean that Elsa was never going to come back to Arendelle? Anna wanted her to come back. She needed her sister in her life again. She couldn't just leave Elsa here alone. Well it may look like she might have to but she refused to let that happened.

"Tell me what happened," Anna said.

Elsa turned white. "I can't." Elsa's voice quivered.

"You can," Anna – almost instinctively – reached out and grabbed Elsa's hand. Anna then realised what she had done and pulled it back as did Elsa as well.

"You don't understand," Elsa started but the door opened and in walked a man who looked around Elsa's age. He was tall with short white blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes. Anna looked and him and he looked back. Who was this guy? What was he doing here in Elsa's apartment?

"Elsa," the man said. "You didn't tell me we have a visitor."

"I didn't know until now," Elsa muttered.

The man looked at Anna up and down and his face split into the biggest grin Anna had ever seen. It looked like he recognised her.

"You must be Anna," he said. He grabbed Anna's hand and shook it quite vigorously. "Elsa's sister right? Elsa showed me a photo of you once."

"Yeah," Anna was getting more and more confused. So this guy knew her? What had Elsa told him about her?

"I'm Jack," the man said. "Jack Frost."

"Hello Jack," Anna replied. "How do you know my sister?"

"Ah, she doesn't know?" the man who calls himself Jack looked over at Elsa.

"We didn't get quite that far," Elsa said to him. Elsa turned back to Anna. "You see Anna, Jack is my husband." Elsa held up her left hand and for the first time, Anna noticed a wedding band on her ring finger.

" _Husband_?" Anna was confused. Elsa was…. _married_? When did this happen? Why didn't she know about it? Why didn't anyone know about it? Anna looked over at Jack and took a deep hard look at him. Who was this guy who was now her brother-in-law?

"Yeah, we got married about a year ago," Elsa mumbled, sensing Anna's shock.

" _A year_?" Anna repeated. "You didn't think to give us a call – 'Hey Anna, guess what, I'm getting married', something like that?!"

"No actually," Elsa's voice was firm.

"Why not?" Anna was getting angrier now. She knew she had no right to be angry but she was. Elsa had hid herself away from all of them and now Anna was just discovering that Elsa had moved onto a new life without letting anyone know. "Surely we should have known that my sister was getting married."

Elsa sighed before looking over at her husband who nodded. Jacks seemed to be taking a passive role in their disagreement.

"Because I am done with being a Winters," Elsa said simply. Anna just looked at her sister in disbelief. Did Elsa not want to be a part of their family anymore? Elsa continued sensing Anna's disbelief. "Look," Elsa was firm in her tone, "you have to see it from my end. My whole life I thought I was abandoned by my family. I thought that no one saw what was happening to me. I thought they didn't care. Here, I found people who did. Here I found what I was missing my entire life – love."

"Elsa…" Anna tried to say something but her words just trailed off into nothing. She didn't know how to respond to this.

"Look, maybe you should just go?" Elsa said quite suddenly.

"Elsa," Anna's courage returned. She wasn't backing down. "You gotta know that we all wished this never happened."

"All?" instead of being calmed down by Anna, Elsa looked shocked. "You said that only Kristoff and Merida knows. So was that a lie? Does everyone know? Grandma? Uncle Klaus?"

"No," Anna admitted after a short pause.

"Good, I don't want them to know."

Elsa was blunt in everything she was saying. Anna continued to be shocked by Elsa's words. What Elsa was saying – it was different to everything that Anna knew about her sister or maybe it was just Anna not used to Elsa speaking her mind.

"Why not?" Anna spluttered. "If they know –"

" _If_ they know, they wouldn't care," Elsa sternly said. "They didn't care for fifteen years and they don't care now."

"Elsa that's a little harsh, they are your family."

Elsa made a small sound that sounded like a scoff and a laugh combined. Anna knew that they had reached an impasse. This conversation was just going to go around in circles. An uncomfortable silence engulfed them. Anna knocked back and forward on her heels. What was she going to do now? How was she going to convince Elsa to forgive her and their family? She seemed dead set on staying here in America.

"Well girls," Jack took advantage of the long silence, "so this weird thing happened at work today."

"They're more _your_ family," Elsa suddenly said, interrupting her husband. "They always have. You were always the favourite of the family. Dad thought so. Everyone thought so. I was pushed to one side to make way for Princess Anna. Dad always had you on a pedestal but not me, oh no. I was the mess of the family."

"Dad was an idiot," Anna said bluntly. "Look, isn't this whole mess in the past? Shouldn't we learn from it and move on? What good is it festering on the past? We need to face it and move on with our lives."

"Anna, just leave it," Elsa seemed to have finally gotten to the point of no return, "just leave it. It's in the past. I want it to stay in the past."

"Fine," Anna seemed to have given up – at least for now, "if you wanna stay hidden here in America, then so be it."

"I'm not hiding," Elsa said.

"Yes you are!"

"If I was, how did you find me?"

"That's a long story," Anna said. For the next few minutes Anna relayed how she managed to find her sister after being hidden for so long.

"Astrid," Elsa muttered, "I knew it. Well it's no surprise there."

"I really think Astrid was looking out for you," Anna said.

"Maybe," Elsa sighed. "Look Anna, it's getting on with the day, I think it's time for you to leave now."

"Leave?" Anna was in disbelief. "Elsa, I only just found you! I don't want to lose you again."

"Anna you've had your fun in playing detective but it's really time for you join the real world. You found me, I'm okay, it's time to move on. Go back to your life in Arendelle. I gather it's a good one – you're what, a nurse now? You always wanted to be one. So go back home and forget I exist."

"Elsa, my life back home isn't whole. You're not there!"

"Funny how that's suddenly become an issue," Elsa said under her breath. "Look, just leave Anna. Stop pretending you suddenly care now that you know my story. I was abused, I will admit that now. You don't need to pretend that changes things between us. I was the person who took your loving father away from you. I was the one who attacked you after dad's funeral. I was the one who shut you out for years. We've never had a good relationship. I doubt we ever will. So please go."

Elsa opened the door for her and gestured for Anna to leave. Anna was on the verge of tears. How could Elsa say these things to her? She thought that they were getting along like they used to when they were younger. Well apparently not. It seems that Elsa was still healing. Elsa nodded again to the door but Anna stood her ground. There was still one more thing she wanted to say to her sister before she left.

'Fine," she said. "If you want me to leave, I will but I will tell you one thing. We all love you Elsa and we all miss you. Every single one of us. Myself, Cousin Astrid, Uncle Klaus, Aunt Greta, Grandmama, Rapunzel, Merida, Kristoff – to name a few. We all want you back in our lives Elsa, to know what you have been up to. Believe it or not, we do love you and wish for you to be a member of our family again. Please Elsa, come home."

Elsa didn't say anything. She just stared at her younger sister. Anna turned to leave but she held back for one more thing.

"Oh it's Grandmama's eightieth coming up," she said. "We both know she would love it for you to be there."

With that, Anna left the apartment. Once the door was shut behind her, Anna let out some tears. She was upset at the way Elsa had turned so suddenly against her. Well, she did have a point. Maybe Anna was just going to have to come back and make her point again. Who knows if her sister would actually listen to her?

Anna set off down the hall, brushing tears out of her eyes as she walked. So Elsa had this new life, new apartment, new friends and of course, the big one, a husband. That was certainly a surprise on Anna's part. She guessed that she never really saw Elsa having a relationship as Anna never saw a hint of it growing up. Well, their father was never big on having boys over. The whole Hans incident proved his point. Anna didn't know the first thing about this guy but she hoped he was good for her. She hoped that he was exactly what Elsa needed in a partner and not some jerk that takes advantage of her.

Anna tapped the down button on the elevator. Guess she was going to have to go back to her hotel room and tell Kristoff that she failed in getting Elsa home. Anna was about to step into the elevator when she heard her name.

"Anna!" Anna turned around and saw Jack running towards her. Anna was puzzled. What did he want?

"Jack right?" she said.

"Yeah," he nodded when he caught up with her. "I only got a minute – I told Elsa I forgot my phone in the car so we can chat even if it's for a few seconds. We never really got a proper chance to have a chat and get to know each other."

"No we didn't," Anna said.

"I'm sorry about Elsa," Jack said. "She's had a rough life and she finds it hard to let people in. Trust me, I know. It took me a while but once she lets you it, it's worth it."

"I understand that," Anna sighed. "I feel like I don't know her anymore – that she's no longer Elsa Winters anymore."

"She's in there," Jack said. "It just takes time for her to let people see the real her. She's so use to being on the defensive that it's hard – practically impossible at times – for her to let people see the real her. Anyway, I gotta get to the real reason I'm here since I don't have too long. Look, Elsa and I are having a bit of a home warming in a couple of days. The apartment is almost ready and we figured we might have a bit of a bash to celebrate getting the apartment. How about it? Feel up for it?"

Anna smiled. "I'll be there."

 **A/N: Hey guys sorry for the late chapter, been super busy with work, so like no time for writing but I do try my best to get these out as fast as possible. I am sorry to say but I am going to put this story on a teeny tiny hiatus just because I am off to Europe for a few weeks next week so no time for writing. Don't worry, when I come back late September, story starts up again - this story is going to be finished, so please guys hang in there! Anyway, yay, Elsa and Anna have found each other, where will this lead? What about the housewarming? Will Elsa go back to Arendelle? Find out in the next chapter! Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Review please!**

 **One more note; I did get a review expressing concerns about the themes in this story. The themes in this story are about facing your demons, having the courage to speak up and to not to run from your problems (similar to what is expressed in Frozen) not what is explored in this story. I know some of the things explored in this story are dark but this is that kind of story, this story is dark which is why there is a warning and a M rating. I apologise if anyone has taken this story the wrong way but this isn't a happy story. It does have issues which aren't often touched upon but is important to. I have done research into this topic and I don't put things that aren't unlikely to happen or untrue facts into this story. Everything that is touched upon has truth written it in. If you feel differently, I suggest you do your own research into this. Anyway, I hope this clears things up and I apologise again.**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **littlefoxx1692: Glad you enjoy this story! I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **Guest: Thanks so much, I like doing a lot of background, I feel like they put a lot more depth to the story.**

 **theFamousStoryTeller: Yeah I am continuing this story, it just will take some time. Thanks so much for the kind words, they mean a ton. Thanks so much for seeing the true message in this, "Anonymous" didn't see it (see my A/N for more details). That is not my message. The main message is to tell if you're getting abused but it also touches upon the difficulty of doing that (like in the show SVU). Yeah, not gonna delete it, it's gotten a lot of positive remarks so I am going to continue it. Thanks so much, really appreciate it.**

 **LexiLove241: Updating!**

 **Guest: Sorry for the wait, updated!**

 **SkittlesKitty: Thanks so much. Haha the wait is over now! They have reunited! It is time for that, it's coming up. Yeah it is but that song was over fifteen years of their lives in the movie, I just stretched it out a little. Thanks again!**

 **Anonymous: See A/N.**

 **Mixybell: Am continuing, just taking a while, sorry! Haha yeah she kind of does.**

 **Guest: Updating!'**

 **Demi Brackensick: Really glad you have been enjoying this! Haha yep, major cliffhanger, maybe another one for this chapter too. Updating!**

 **Guest: Thanks! Updated as requested!**

 **Tigerflight: Thanks so much! Yeah I know it's a different route but that's what I like to do, see how characters react in different situations. Nice, Canada! Always wanted to go. Giving you a wave from NZ! Yeah I love that too. Honestly, I have no idea if Jelsa kids are going to be in this. Was considering it for the epilogue but only if I end up doing one. Thanks for the offer but I have names in mind hehe. Omg, thanks so much for your awesome words, they mean so much. Haha, aww, if you need help, feel free to give me a buzz, always happy to help out a fellow author. Haha, long reviews are more than welcome!**

 **solarlunastar: Yeah, I decided to write her differently in this story but she does get better! I promise! As seen in this chapter. Thanks!**

 **sanaa11: Thanks so much, I am trying to lengthen my chapters. Thanks! Yep, I'm a graduate now, sheesh, becoming an adult, nooo!**

 **Riddler-kun: I update when I can, it's just that I'm busy with work so not a lot of time to write, but updating!**

 **sakura aesthetic: Thanks so much, yep time to kickstart it!**

 **Snow queen: Thanks! I believe your question has been answered with this chapter.**

 **iZombieslayer: I try to update as much as possible but I don't have a lot of time due to work. Sorry. Haha, awesome!**

 **Gracie: Thanks so much! Yep, now a graduate, wow, so official now.**

 **JackElsaforeve: Thanks so much. Haha Merida didn't come, only Anna and Kristoff. Thanks!**

 **AkaNeko-Sesshy: Haha yep, but the big reveal is still to comeeeee.**

 **Kimchee2222: Sorry to hear that, hopefully things are now better, aww glad that brightened your day. Haha, here's another for you!**

 **NightCrow712: Thanks! Yep, now graduated, wow old aren't I? Thanks so much, I do try to update as quickly as possible.**

 **FAIRY4LIFE: Updated!**


	21. The Winters Sisters

**Chapter 21: The Winters Sisters**

Anna returned back to her hotel room, her head still buzzing about what had happened. Too many things had happened and her brain couldn't process it all. First of all, she had finally found her sister. After all this time, she had found her and what she had found, wasn't the sister she remembered. Elsa had changed. She was different and Anna didn't know how to talk to her or be around her. The way she talked, acted was completely different. It was almost as if Elsa was an entirely different person. The Elsa she once knew was long gone – or maybe the real Elsa had finally come forward?

Secondly, Elsa was married. Anna hadn't seen that one coming. The fact that she now had a brother-in-law had never entered her brain. Growing up, Elsa didn't show any interest in dating. In fact, Anna couldn't name a single guy that Elsa showed the slightest interest in. Then again, maybe their father prevented Elsa was dating. He was quite hard on both of them bringing guys back to their house – like the whole Hans incident. Although Anna would have liked an invitation but would Anna have gone to Elsa's wedding? Hmm, that was something she didn't think of. Well at least she found someone to keep her happy. So, she had married after all. Jack seemed like a nice enough kind of guy and seemed keen to know her more but what did Anna know about him? Well maybe she would have a chance to.

Thirdly, this home warming that Jack mentioned. What a time to be awkward with her sister again. Great, this was exactly what she wanted. Well, it could be a great time to get back into that apartment and try and talk some sense into her sister despite the previous situation going as badly as expected. However, the way Jack was speaking kind of made her think as if Jack wanted Elsa to reconnect with her family. So maybe he could be a useful ally in her quest to get Elsa to come back home.

Anna didn't know when or how she managed to get back to her hotel. Her feet had somehow carried her right there. Her mind kept going round and round with this whole Elsa mess. God, this was so agonising. Anna collapsed onto her bed – facedown into her pillow – and stayed there. She couldn't even move. All that she could do was groan into her pillow as he brain refused to operate at the current moment. Either it couldn't or wouldn't process the day's events. Well, it was a lot to take in. She finally managed to turn over and stared up at her ceiling fan. She watched it spin round and round.

"Hey sweetie," the sound of her boyfriend jerked her out of her trance state. Anna turned her head and saw that Kristoff had come back into their hotel room. He smiled at her and she smiled back at him. "Any luck?"

"Yeah," Anna said. She didn't know where to begin here. Did she start with the way Elsa behaved during their conversation or with the fact that she now had a brother-in-law? She cleared her throat. "I found her."

"That's fantastic," Kristoff sounded really pleased and excited. "So what's she like after all this time?"

Anna sat up straight. "She's married."

"What?" Kristoff was shocked. "Did you say _married_?"

"Married, wedded, united, pick your favourite."

Kristoff looked surprised. "So you have a new brother-in-law? What's he like?"

"Super nice but that's beside the point," Anna sighed. "Elsa hid him from me, from all of us. How hard would it have been to drop us a line?" Anna imitated her sister's voice. "Hey Anna, just wanting to let you know, I'm getting married." Anna's voice returned to normal. "How hard is that?"

"Well you have to look at it from her perspective. This is a girl who thought her family abandoned her in her time of need. It's no wonder she didn't want us at her wedding."

"Yeah, I know," Anna's face fell. Those thoughts had already crossed her mind. "I'm just so pissed that we missed out on eight years of her life that seemed to have a lot of change in it."

"Well, let's not miss out on another day."

Anna nodded. "Jack – the new brother-in-law – invited me to a home warming party that I fully intend to attend. I'll start there."

* * *

Elsa watched as Anna left her apartment. She saw the appearance of some tears as they dripped down Anna's cheek. A sigh escaped Elsa. She knew she was being hard but what other option did she have? Anna was her past in human form and Elsa was just not ready to face it. Although, she doubted she would ever be. So what was one to do about Anna – and probably Kristoff too as Elsa was sure Anna would have dragged him along. Kristoff was probably dating her sister by now anyway. Elsa wasn't too sure on what to do. One option was just to bury her head in the sand and ignore her. Well that was unlikely to work as Elsa was sure that Jack had it in his head to befriend his newest family member – she was also sure that he hadn't really forgotten his phone and that he had really gone after Anna. He was really that predictable at times. The other was to simply accept that Anna was here and try to deal with it. Well, she wasn't sure that would work either. Her past was knocking at the door – granted she had gone eight years without it finding her – and she didn't want to answer it, just let Anna keep knocking.

So what was a girl to do?

Elsa could have bashed her head against the table she was sitting at. This was too hard. This was harder than her bar exam. Why couldn't Anna have just stayed in Arendelle? That way she wouldn't have to be dealing with this mess and Anna would be happy as Larry without her. Elsa let out a long sigh and gently placed her head on the table. Well at least she didn't have to explain the abuse angle which would have made for a very interesting conversation. That was something – she guessed.

Jack walked back into the room. Elsa swivelled her head to face him. What was she going to do with him? He grinned at her before going into their bedroom. Elsa didn't want to fight with him so she didn't say anything. So she let him go. However it started to eat at her over the next couple of hours. While Elsa was in the shower, she had decided to say something to her husband. She hoped it wouldn't escalate into a fight but she's guessing it will. Well, time for brace for it while she could. She walked into their bedroom and saw that Jack wasn't there just yet. Words for what she should say started to appear. Soon Jack entered the room and grinned at her as he pulled the sheets back on their bed. While they were both getting ready for bed, Elsa started to think about how she would breach the subject. It wouldn't be easy bringing it up. She was saved by Jack doing it first.

"So, um, Anna seems nice," Jack said in a small voice. Thank God he started it. She hadn't had a clue on how to bring it up.

"Yeah, she is," Elsa said in an equally small voice.

Where was Jack going with this? Elsa couldn't read him and she usually could. Maybe he was leading her into the direction of asking if Anna could come to their house warming. She wouldn't how to respond to that if he did – well not without being rude.

"So, is she here for you?" Jack asked very gently and Elsa nodded. "Ah, I see." There was silence. It seemed like both sides were at a loss for words. "Discuss anything interesting?" Elsa shook her head to begin with but then nodded. It seemed like her tongue was stuck in her throat. Elsa collapsed on her side of the bed while Jack hovered on his side. Jack then sighed. He knew what had been discussed. "Let me guess, your dad came up a few times?"

"Yeah," Elsa let out a sigh as well, "he did."

Jack took a seat on the bed as well and looked at his wife with a sympathetic gaze. He knew what was going on. He knew Elsa too well. It was one of his best traits.

"So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Elsa burst out. She fell backwards on the bed with her head resting next to Jack. "What should I do?"

"I think you should let you sister come to our home warming party."

Elsa gave her husband a look. "You've already invited her, haven't you?"

"Maybe," Jack looked everywhere but Elsa.

"Look, I'm just not ready to see her again. Do me a favour and disinvite her? Make up some random excuse."

"Elsa –"

"I'm asleep," Elsa said as she quickly dived under her cover and pretended to snore while Jack shook his head. He knew there was no point in arguing at this moment and Elsa didn't really want to at this time anyway.

* * *

Jack found himself in the local coffee shop the next day. He was sitting at his favourite place flicking through notes for his meeting coming up next week. Unless he had all these memorised, his boss would probably have his hide. However, he wasn't really reading it. His head was too busy worrying about Elsa. What was he going to do about this situation? His sister-in-law – who he had never met – showed up. That was something he didn't – and it was safe to say neither did Elsa – expect. Elsa might want nothing more to do with her – she may have written her completely out her life but the same couldn't be said about him. He wanted to know her. He wanted the same relationship that Elsa and Pippa have. Ever since they met, something had just clicked. The two of them spent a lot of time together. In fact they were right now having – what they called – a sister's day. What they were doing was a bit beyond him but he knew they were getting some serious shopping done. Although there was times when he thought that maybe she was trying to replace a hole in her – maybe someone wanted a new best friend?

So back to Elsa – what was one to do about her? Should he let her have some space to figure things out or should he do his best to reunite two siblings who have been apart for many years? Well, he knew if he did either someone wasn't going to come off well. He knew in his heart that Elsa and Anna would have to reconnect at some point and maybe this was the universe telling them it was time. He honestly thought it was the best for the pair of them and for Elsa to move on with her life. However, he knew how Elsa was feeling. He knew pushing her into this wasn't the best idea and maybe he should find Anna and tell her not to come as it would be painful for Elsa. Although, would that be the best idea for Elsa? She did need to get past this. His brain started to hurt. This was all too much.

"Hey Jack," a familiar voice suddenly said from out of nowhere.

Jack looked startled and turned his head to find a grinning Astrid and Hiccup just next to him. Jack grinned back when he saw his two friends.

"Fancy meeting you guys here," he said. He nodded towards the chairs that were next to him. "Join me."

The two of them grabbed seats and drew them closer to Jack. Jack was then stuck by an idea. Apart from him, who knew Elsa more than anyone? Astrid! (Well discounting anyone from her home town Arendelle who probably would win this like any of Elsa's former best friends – Rapunzel and Merida he believed they were called?) Maybe she would have the answer he was looking for. Well there was no harm in asking.

"So what's this?" Hiccup grabbed Jack's notebook and flicked through it. His face fell with every word he read. "Yeah, I'm a genius and I didn't understand a single word of that."

Jack laughed. "I would be surprised if you did. Even I have extreme difficulty in understanding it and it's my job."

"So," Astrid really drew out the word, "did you hear the word on campus?"

Astrid grinned at her friend and looked as if she had the biggest gossip since it was discovered that Miley Stewart was Hannah Montana.

"That Elsa's sister is back?" Jack knew where Astrid was going. It was kind of obvious from the look on her face. She looked shocked that he knew and Jack shrugged in return. "She showed up at our apartment. I'm guessing that since you know she's here, you were the one who told her where to find Elsa?"

"Yeah, I was," Astrid admitted. "So what went down between the Winters sisters?"

Jack quickly recounted what had occurred between Elsa and Anna. Astrid looked quite surprised with every word that was uttered and Hiccup looked lost. Obviously he had no idea what was happening. Ah well, Hiccup was just going to have to deal with it. There was no time for explainations.

"So, any chance of a recap?" Hiccup asked.

"She let her go?" Astrid asked ignoring her fiancé and Jack nodded. "Wow."

Astrid looked like she was doing some serious thinking and Jack thought he knew what was going through her mind. She was probably wondering why Elsa just let Anna go. To be honest, he was too.

"She's coming to the home warming this weekend though."

Astrid grinned. "That should be good."

"Only problem is that Elsa told me to tell her not to come."

"You're not going to, right?" Astrid looked at Jack expectantly.

Jack smirked. "You know me well enough to answer that."

"I have a bad feeling about this, guys," Hiccup suddenly interjected which was ignored.

* * *

Anna was walking down the corridor towards Elsa's apartment. To say she was nervous was a huge understatement. Her hands couldn't stop shaking, her heart couldn't stop pounding and her head couldn't stop spinning. She kept thinking that this was a bad idea. With every step she too towards the apartment, her heart sank a little more. Elsa didn't want to speak or see her ever again. In fact, Anna was sure that Elsa would love it if she packed up and went back home and never spoke of this again or of her. However, Anna knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she did that. If she gave it up now, then she would spend her life wondering what would have happened if she hadn't give up. This was her chance. This was her time. She was not going to blow it. She couldn't afford to.

She gazed over at Kristoff who was walking next to her carrying a bottle of wine. Anna's dad always said they shouldn't turn up empty handed to a party. So thus, they had a small pit stop at the local supermarket to pick a little something, something. They approached the door and Anna held out her hand to knock but she hesitated. She wasn't just nervous but scared also. What if she blew it with Elsa? What if she blew it so badly, getting Elsa to come home was impossible? What if something was said that permanently destroyed their relationship? Well, she guessed she couldn't have screwed up any worse than she already had. Her last memory of her and Elsa wasn't exactly screaming sisterly love.

"You okay?" Kristoff asked but she couldn't speak. She couldn't even move. Her whole body had frozen.

Elsa hated her, okay, she could deal with that. Elsa never wanting to see her again – well maybe that was also something she could with too. What she couldn't deal with was Elsa never returning home or seeing her friends again thus cutting out every little bit of her life before she was eighteen. People like Merida and Rapunzel were counting on her. She just couldn't mess this up – she just couldn't. Anna took in a deep breath and summoned every ounce of courage she had and used it to knock on the door.

"Coming," called out a familiar male voice. It sounded a lot like Jack, although she had only met the guy once.

Anna braced herself. She could hear the footsteps getting close and closer. What if this was the worst idea ever? She didn't think she could handle another blow up with Elsa. Ah well, it's too late to turn back now. The door opened and Anna was relieved to see Jack smiling at them. In the background, Anna could see several tables full of food and people gathered around them. Guess these were all the people Elsa knew here in Burgess. It would be interesting to get to know them.

"Hey guys," Jack kept grinning at them. "Glad you could come."

"We are not late are we?" Anna asked. Seeing all those people made her think that maybe they were indeed late to the party.

"Nah," Jack said as he gently shook his head. "You are right on time."

"Phew," Anna said.

At least she wasn't late. That would have been interesting to try and explain, not to mention be a super awkward experience.

"Oh I'm Jack by the way," Jack had quickly realised that Anna hadn't come alone. He spoke this to Kristoff who was a little puzzled to who Jack was. Although gathering by Kristoff's expression, it looked as if he had figured out who Jack was.

"Oh the famed brother-in-law," Kristoff suddenly caught on to who he was. "Kristoff is the name. I'm Anna's boyfriend."

"Ah," Jack grinned and gave Anna a wink who blushed. "Come on Anna, I wanna introduce you to some friends of mine."

"Is Elsa here?" Anna asked tentatively.

"Not yet," Jack knew why she was asking. "She has gone out for more ice. She will be back soon though."

"Oh," Anna didn't know if she should be relieved or nervous. Prolonging the eventual blowout wasn't something that was suggested. She kind of wanted to get it done and dusted with – get it over with. At least it gave her some time to figure out what she wanted to say. So she allowed Jack to take her from person to person.

"This is Astrid and Hiccup," Jack said as he led them to a brown hair guy who Anna noticed had one leg a blonde hair lady who Anna instantly recognised as the woman who led her Elsa.

"We've met," Astrid said as she shook Anna and Kristof's hands. "So how are things?"

First the first time since arriving, Anna felt relaxed. At least she some allies here.

* * *

Elsa walked down in the direction of the local store. Her home warming party has been going on for a couple of hours and so far no sign of Anna. She felt a little relieved, to be honest. She didn't really want another conversation with her. All she wanted was a fun evening out with some of her best friends. Not a drama filled one which was exactly what she would get if Anna came. Guess Jack did come through for her after all. She was grateful to him for listening to her on this one. Normally Jack would probably try and meddle but maybe he had decided to be nice this time.

Elsa hurried along to the local convenient store. She kept checking her watch. The minutes were ticking by. Already she had been gone close to half an hour and if she didn't hurry, it was bound to be another before she got back to her apartment. The store soon came into view and Elsa's quickened her pace into a run. Once inside, she saw that her friend Michael was on the evening shift. Elsa could have let out a small giggle. She knew that he hated working past five and already it was past seven. Michael liked to go out in the evenings and working late certainly wasn't on his agenda.

"Hey Mikey," Elsa said when she approached the counter. She rested her elbows on it and looked up at Michael. "Whatcha doing?"

Michael was currently on his iPhone. He had recently gotten the latest model and couldn't put it down.

"Just downloading the latest games," he said.

"Free or purchased ones?" Elsa raised her eyebrows.

'Free of course!" Michael pretended to look offended while Elsa laughed. "So I gather this isn't a social visit."

"Nope," Elsa said. "Just need some ice."

"You mean the ones in freezer?" Michael gestured over to the massive freezers.

Elsa walked over and picked up a couple of one kilogram bags.

"Yep, I do," Elsa said.

She quickly paid for the ice and headed out the door. Now it was a challenge to get these bags of ice home before they melt – and before her hands froze over. She quickly walked (which was difficult as the bags were heavy) back towards the apartment. As she was doing that, she was suddenly struck with a thought. Just because Anna wasn't at the party doesn't mean she wasn't going to turn up. Elsa shook her head.

No, she thought, surely not. Anna wouldn't turn up. She was being silly. Jack asked her not to come. Surely Jack would have respected her enough to understand that this was something of great importance to her. She was going to have a fun evening with her friends and hubby and Anna wasn't going to get in the way of that.

Elsa soon found herself back at her apartment. The ice was starting to melt a little. Well it was lucky that she was back at her home. She could put them in a cooler to help stop them from melting. She opened the door and found that people were still having a good time. Well at least her co-host wasn't messing things up. She grinned around at the people before her eyes landed on a familiar face.

Her heart sank.

It couldn't be.

* * *

After Hiccup and Astrid, she met some more of Jack and Elsa's friends which included a girl called Tooth, Bunnymund (weird names but she wasn't one to judge), Jack's sister Pippa and mother Caroline (so these were more of Elsa's in-laws, well she was glad that Elsa had married into such a great family), Honey, Tadashi and his little brother Hiro, Gogo, North (what was up with all these weird names? Well at least she would be able to remember all these names), Moana and her parents (how cool was it that Elsa knew people from the other side of the glone). Anna almost forgot about Elsa. She was having too much fun. She almost willed for Elsa not to show up so that she could remain having fun. She decided not to dwell too much on her sister. What will happen, will happen and she will need to meet it when it does. Instead, she allowed herself to be engrossed in what Moana was telling her about Polynesia. It sounded so cool.

She was bought back to reality when the door opened and a blonde hair girl walked in. Anna didn't need to look up to know who that was. Anna gulped and her heart sank a little. It was Elsa. She had finally come back. Well, time for their big – and potentially last – showdown. Anna braced herself as Elsa's eyes finally found her. Elsa dropped the ice bag she was holding. Ice went everywhere but she didn't seem to care. All that she was focused on was her younger sister.

"Anna?" the word barely escaped her lips.

"Hello," Anna murmured back with a small wave her of hand.

"What-what are you doing here?" Elsa said. Anna suddenly realised that she looked frightened. Why would she be though? What was she scared of? Could it be what Anna reminded her of – the very thing she was running from – her past?

"I just wanted to see you again," Anna said, speaking at the speed of light. She quickly realised she still had the wine in her hand which Kristoff had asked her to hold. She hurriedly held it out for Elsa to take it but she didn't move. It looked like Elsa was frozen solid. Jack, quickly realising that Elsa wasn't going to move, grabbed it instead in order to neutralise the awkward situation they were in and walked over to Elsa and handed it to her. She took it but with a confused expression on her face. "You know what dad always said…" Anna's voice got smaller and smaller. She had just realised what she had said – what she had triggered inside of her sister. It seemed that the room suddenly got colder – so cold in fact, Antarctica seemed hot – and nobody dared to speak. It seemed like quite a few people in the room knew what Anna had done. Had Elsa mentioned something to them?

"Get out," Elsa said very quietly but you could feel the lethality oozing out of every word. Everyone, including Anna, took a couple of steps back.

"Elsa, please," Anna was very near tears at this point. She clamped her hands together and started to beg. "Please, I just want to talk. _Please!_ "

"Did you not hear me?" Elsa's voice was getting louder and angrier with every word. "I said, for you to leave."

Anna suddenly got a douse of courage. "No. Elsa you are my sister and I love you. Please come home. We need you back home."

"No," Elsa looked like she could have thrown the wine that was in her hand at Anna's face. "I'm never going back. The past is in the past."

"You don't mean that," Anna started to cry. Did Elsa really want nothing to do with any of them – ever?

"I do," Elsa snarled. "Now get the hell out of my home."

"Elsa," Jack said softly but he was ignored by Elsa.

Now it was Kristoff's time to try. He had been silent so far but Anna didn't know what had caused him to suddenly speak up. Maybe he really wanted to see Anna reunite with her sister after so many years.

"Elsa, please listen to Anna," Kristoff spoke in a calm, low voice. There wasn't a drop of anger in it.

Elsa turned her attention to Kristoff. Her face expression softened when her eyes fell upon him.

"It is nice to see you Kristoff," she said. "I'm sorry that you've been dragged into this."

"We really want you home," Kristoff said. "It's not just Anna here but myself, Rapunzel, Merida and others."

"Kristoff, I just can't," Elsa was close to tears. She suddenly became very aware that everyone was staring at her. She tried to hurriedly get herself back together before speaking again. "Please, just take Anna home. You both belong in Arendelle."

"So do you," Anna suddenly interjected.

"No Anna, I belong here where I can be who I am. Please, go home."

"Elsa-"

Anna tried to plea with her sister but it was of no use. Elsa had put her hand up to silence her younger sister. There was a look in Elsa's eye that suddenly reminded Anna of the way their father used to look at them when he was angry. Anna slightly recoiled. There was only one time she had seen her this angry and it did not end well. It was looking like Elsa was serious on this matter.

"Go, now," Elsa did not raise her voice. She did not yell. However her voice had anger pounding through it. It scared Anna. Anna wanted to speak, she even opened her mouth to do so but Elsa interrupted her. This time she yelled. "Anna, I don't want see you ever again! Get out of my life forever! Leave and never come back!"

Anna's mouth closed. Her heart dropped. Tears came to her eyes and started to stream down her cheeks. Did Elsa really mean what she said? She couldn't have. She just couldn't have. Although, the look on her face said otherwise. Maybe she did. That just made her even sadder at the mere thought. Anna mustered up every bit of energy she had to respond but just didn't have the energy to fight anymore. Suddenly Anna had a small burst of anger come out. It came from nowhere. She guessed it came from the frustration that she was getting nowhere with this.

"Fine!" Anna spat out. That was all she could get out.

Anna stormed out with Kristoff struggling to keep up. Anna was determined to hide her tears as they splashed down her face even harder than they had been before. All her hopes to reconnect with her sister, bring her back home and be a family again were gone in one instant. Blown up in one moment. Meeting Jack, her brother-in-law was a wonderful surprise but maybe it wasn't fate for them to know each other. Maybe it was fate that she and Elsa weren't supposed to have a good relationship. She hoped not.

"You okay?" Kristoff asked.

Anna shook her head. She didn't know how to respond to that. Well, at least Elsa was happy here. That was something, right?

* * *

After Anna left, Elsa hurried into her bathroom and locked herself in the bathroom, ignoring everyone around her including Jack who looked like he wanted to say something. She couldn't stand being stared at. She knew what was on their minds. They thought that she was being harsh for what she said and did to her sister but they didn't know what had happened between them – well maybe not everyone. For Elsa, Anna represented everything that could have been. Deep down, she was jealous of her sister. She had everything that Elsa wanted but could never have. She had a perfect relationship with their father, no horrible painful memories, didn't have to shut everyone out or suffer from PTSD. It was unfair that Anna had what seemed to be the perfect life and she had what could be the worst.

Anna also reminded Elsa too much of their father – the man that Elsa would always be terrified of and wished in some way, she had never known. He was the real reason she couldn't go back to Arendelle. The truth be told, she would love to see her old friends again and be reacquainted with Anna but she just couldn't. It was all too much for her to handle and she didn't think she had the strength. Elsa buried her head in her hands and cried. Oh when was she ever going to be free of this? When will she be able to let this all go? Being in Burgess, she thought that would be able to cure it but it all came rushing back when Anna knocked on her door. Oh why did she have to do that? Wasn't she content with her life back in Arendelle? Why did she have dredge up the past?

There was a gentle knock on the door and Elsa could hear her husband's voice echoing through the door.

"Elsa, are you okay in there?" he asked in a soft voice.

"No," sniffed Elsa.

"Do you want me to come in?"

Elsa shrugged. "If you want to."

"Elsa, the door is locked. You have to unlock it so I can come in."

Elsa got to her feet rather slowly and unlocked the bathroom door before collapsing against the tiled floor. Jack walked into the bathroom and sat opposite Elsa, cross legged. They both sat in silence for several minutes. Elsa was very aware that Jack was staring at her. She did her best not to look at him for a long time. Her eyes wandered around the bathroom as she tried to do this. Finally, her eyes fell to her husband and his eyes connected with hers – well it was going to happen eventually.

"Did I ruin the party?" Elsa said finally breaking the silence.

Jack shook his head. "Nah, they – well most of the people there anyway – understood. It was a little awkward trying to explain to Moana and her parents why you and your sister don't get along though." Elsa let out a small giggle and sighed. So Moana now knew her past – some of it at any rate. Hopefully she wouldn't think too harshly of her. There was a small silver lining though – at least she hadn't ruined too much. "So," Jack ploughed on. "What are we going to do about this?"

Elsa was confused. "About?" she questioned him and raised her eyebrow. Surely Jack didn't mean what she thought he meant.

"Going to Arendelle of course!" Jack said as if it was the most obvious thing.

Elsa let out a low groan. Of course he meant that. She had just wished he had something else on his mind. She knew where this conversation was going much to her despair.

"Jack, you know I can't," Elsa said softly. "It's just too much for me."

"You can't run from all your problems."

Jack tried to give her smile to show his sympathy but it didn't exactly work. Elsa gave him a look and Jack sheepishly grinned. They both had a history of running from their problems, although, Elsa probably did it a lot more than Jack did.

"Yeah I can," Elsa folded her arms. "Why not?"

"Because I have it on really good authority that the reason you are not getting over PSTD is that you haven't faced your problems."

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "Who told you that?" she said in a rather accusatory tone.

"Your therapist," Jack said, rather smugly in Elsa's opinion.

"When did she say that?"

"Oh like weeks ago," Jack said it was a throwaway matter.

Elsa looked even less impressed than she did a few minutes ago. Jack could only grin at her which Elsa found as assuming as a trip to the dentist. Trust Jack to turn this serious situation into a silly one.

"Do you talk about me behind my back to my therapist?" exclaimed Elsa.

She was starting to get a little freaked out. It wasn't exactly her favourite thing to be talked about behind her – let alone her husband. What had they be saying? Did they discuss her PTSD issues without her? That's not good.

"Well maybe," Jack looked a little guilty. It was as if he knew what he had done wasn't exactly something that Elsa approved of. Good, Elsa thought, serves him right. "Look, I am just worried about you. You have never really faced your fear of your father or your family. You gotta face your fears. Look danger right in the eye and say not today! Be someone you can be proud of."

Elsa could have laugh but instead she raised her eyebrow again. "Got anymore cheesy slogans for me?"

"Maybe," Jack laughed. "Look all I'm saying is that I think it's time you can go back. You have come so far in the time since your father's death. You're in therapy facing your issues which is good. Tackling your problems, one step at time. This is just the next step. You ca do this. I know you can."

Elsa sighed. So what was she going to do? On one hand, Jack made a lot of sense. He was right about her facing her past and fears. Jack did and he did come out better because of it. He was right about her coming so far. The nightmares were slowly going away – although she doubted they would ever completely go away. She was feeling a lot better than what had when she first came to Burgess. Here in Burgess she had found friends and a husband whi have supported her and had helped her come this far. Maybe they could help her in the next phase. So maybe going back to Arendelle really was the answer she was looking for. However, on the other hand, could she handle it? Her PTSD hasn't exactly gone away. She was sure that going back to Arendelle would just cause of that to come but. However, was Jack right when he said it was the next step for her?

"So, what do you say?" prompted Jack.

* * *

Anna was teary eyed when she packed up her bag. At this point, she didn't think she have the energy to go at it again with Elsa. It had taken all she had out of her and there was just nothing left inside of her to continue this fight. There was no use in staying here in Burgess if Elsa didn't want to come home. It wasn't like she could force her to come home. Besides, she did need to go home – her leave from work was up. At least she found her sister and knew that she was safe. That was something, she thought. She guessed she could call this trip a win even though she was going home empty handed.

"You okay?" Kristoff asked her while they swung their bags over their shoulders.

"Yeah," that was all she could muster up. Her throat had closed up.

She didn't speak at all on their way to the airport. She didn't even speak a single word the entire flight home. She kept seeing Kristoff glance over in her direction but she ignored it. She didn't have the strength or the willpower to talk about this. It wasn't until they got back to their apartment did they finally speak. Kristoff looked as if he was bursting to speak since Burgess.

"Anna, you haven't said a word all day, clearly you aren't okay. Please speak to me. I am so worried."

"Well what do you want me to say?" tears streaked down her face. "You want me to admit that it was a total bust going over there? You want me to say that Elsa really hurt me by what she said? Then fine I do!"

"Anna, I know it was hard but at least you saw Elsa. You know that she is okay. That was what you wanted to find out right?"

"Yeah," Anna forced herself to remain calm, "but I wanted her to come home."

Kristoff bought Anna into his arms and embraced her. They stayed like that for several long minutes. Anna just cried into his shoulder this entire time.

"We all did," Kristoff whispered. "We all did." There was a small pause after these words were spoken. "So now what? Do we go back?"

Anna sighed very heavily. Now what, indeed. So let's see where they were. Elsa threw her out and demanded that she never return. What was she going to do? She literally had zero clue on what to do. Elsa wanted to be left alone in America and didn't want anyone else to find her there. It was a real head spinner. She desperately wanted to make up for the time she and Elsa had missed but it didn't look like Elsa was interested. It looked like the only thing she was interested in was to stay away from everyone she once knew So was it even worth it to take another shot at it?

"No," it was the hardest word she had ever said. Anna knew it was no point in going back just yet. Elsa just didn't want to come back. It would only result in more fighting at this point. There wasn't any point at this moment. "I don't know really," Anna sighed. "You heard Elsa. I really don't what to do. It's not as if I can bind and gag her and force her to come back here to Arendelle."

Kristoff gave a short smile at this. "True."

"I need to think on this," Anna said. "Come up with a plan of attack."

Anna wandered into her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. She had no idea what to do. She felt utterly destroyed by this. Was it even possible to bring Elsa back home? She honestly had no idea. A groan escaped her and Anna pounded her head into her pillow in her frustration. No plan came to her. Well, at least Elsa was safe and happy. She just wished she was safe and happy with her in Arendelle.

It was ironic that Elsa running off, leaving her, caused her to realise just how much she missed her sister and wanted her back in her life. For years, Anna hated her sister, said horrible things to her and did even worst thing. That girl – who she used to be – made Anna shudder at the mere thought of her. Those memories were some of her worst moments. Anna groaned once more. She wanted to make it up to Elsa but how? It wasn't as if she could change the past, alter what happened to Elsa and between them. She had been hoping to change the future but how? That was the question (not the random question that Shakespeare came up with).

She didn't know when she fell asleep but before she knew it her alarm was going off. Time for work. Her dreams had been filled with weird images of her past with Elsa. It made her feel worse when she awoke and the whole events came crashing back to her.

"Anna, you okay?"

The words of her best friend Zoë snapped her out of her dream like state. After her alarm went off, she somehow managed to get to work – her legs just seemed to take her when she needed to go. However, her brain had put her on autopilot the entire day. All she could think about was what she should do about her Elsa situation but she had zero ideas. Anna was currently sitting at lunch trying to eat her salad but all she was doing was prodding it instead of eating her. Her appetite had disappeared on her since this morning. She didn't even have much breakfast.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Anna said looking at her friend. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh maybe because you've been acting super weird ever since you got back from America," Zoë said pretending that it was of no big consequence. She then gave Anna a serious expression. "Seriously, what happened there? Did you and Kristoff have a massive fight and like break up or something?"

"No," Anna shook her head. Should she tell her? Elsa wouldn't like it but on the flip side, Zoë might have some insight. She could tell her parts of it anyway and she couldn't just keep lying to her. "I just, well, tried to reconnect with my sister but it didn't exactly go to plan."

"Elsa?" Zoë looked shocked. Anna didn't find this surprising considering all that she had told her over the years. "But…but…you hate her!"  
"I don't hate her," Anna sighed. How was she going to explain this incredibly complicated situation that she had suddenly found herself in? "It's super complicated and calling it major family drama doesn't even cover it."

"Oh," Zoë looked surprised at Anna's words. "I am so lost here."

"Let's just say that I have been wrong about Elsa all these years," Anna could have cried but she forced herself to keep it together.

"For reals?" Zoë asked her best friend and Anna nodded. It took Zoë several minutes to process this new information before she found the ability to speak again. "Wow. So the reunion didn't go so great?"

Anna shook her head. "Nope. I have no idea how to fix this. Do you?"

"Maybe do something that shows that you're sorry?" Zoë suggested. "Or maybe don't take no for an answer? Be stubborn, that's what you're best at."

"Hey," Anna gave Zoë a friendly shove while Zoë laughed.

They went back to eating their lunch but this time, Anna felt a little different. She could feel an idea forming in her brain. Maybe Zoë did have a point. She had let Elsa kick her out without much of a fight. Maybe she should go back. What did she have to lose? Her relationship with her sister was on the line here. It was not something she was willing to give up for anything.

After work, Anna soon found herself walking home but this time, she walked home with a bit of a spring in her step. Zoë may have given her the answer. Anna had been thinking about it all day. She was considering taking an extended leave from work and maybe getting a united front combined of her, Kristoff and Merida to go to Burgess. Maybe her aunt, uncle, cousin and Rapunzel would join them. Although, that would be mean telling them the truth about everything that her father did to her sister. Hmm, that may have to wait. Guess the united front would just consist of her, Kristoff and Merida then. Maybe that would be enough to convince Elsa that people wanted to come back to Arendelle.

Hmm, thinking of Merida, is that her? That was the thoughts that crossed Anna's mind when she walked past her local coffee shop and did a double take when she thought she saw a familiar gingar. Merida was sitting at one of the booths sipping coffee alone. Anna then realised something. She hadn't let Merida know what had happened in Burgess. She had heard her phone beep several times but she hadn't looked at her messages. She had felt too depressed to talk to anyone. Anna quickly opened her phone and saw at least a dozen text messages from Merida wondering where she was and what had happened between her and Elsa.

 _Hey Anna, just wondering if you're back home yet,_ one read.

 _Anna, did you find Elsa?_

 _Anna are you okay? Did everything go okay?_

They were all more or less read the same things. A guilty feeling rose within her. Opps, Anna thought. She quickly put her phone away and headed into the coffee shop to catch up with Merida. Now's a good time as any. Once inside, she ordered some coffee (because why not?) and headed over to Merida. Merida was on her phone – it looked like she was reading an online newspaper. Anna cleared her throat to get her attention as Merida hadn't realise she was there. Merida looked up and jumped.

"Anna!" she exclaimed " _There_ you are. I have been worried about you."

"Sorry," Anna said. "Can I sit down?"

Merida gestured to the empty seat next to her and Anna sat down. They sat in silence for a few moments drinking their coffee. However, Anna could tell Merida was about to burst from excitement. So Anna just relaxed and waited for it.

"So what happened?" Merida asked excitably after only a few moments in silence. "Did you find Elsa?"

"I did," Anna nodded.

"Oh my god," Merida looked even more excited. " _And_?"

Anna quickly explained what had gone down between the two of them. With each passing word she said, Merida's expression changed from excited to concern – extremely quickly. When Anna had finished, she looked astonished.

"She said that?" Merida breathed and Anna nodded. Merida struggled to say something. It looked as if she was having trouble believing this. "So, she's really not coming back?"

Anna nodded. "I think so."

"What now?" Merida asked. Anna quickly told her about Zoë's plan. "Hmm, I don't know if that's a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Anna looked surprised. She had thought Zoë had a great idea. Besides, what else could they do?

"I don't think harassing Elsa is a good idea Anna. Elsa needs to come back on her own and in her own time. I don't condemn the idea of going back every now and then to start the relationship back up but basically that idea is like forcing her to come and that won't achieve anything. It will just push Elsa even further away."

Anna opened her mouth to speak but then closed it straight away. Merida had a point. Anna being stubborn in this matter would just cause Elsa to be even more annoyed with her and that was not what Anna wanted to happen.

"So you're suggesting maybe go back in a while and try again?" Anna said. "How is that different from what Zoë suggested?"

"Zoë's plan is forcing her to come over here, remember? Mine is letting her come when she is ready."

"I guess that's true," Anna sighed.

So it was back at square one for her. Anna started to think hard. As usual, Merida was right. She hated that about her. Maybe she should go back in a month or so after letting Elsa have some space. Maybe then Elsa would be ready for a long talk. Besides, it wouldn't be such a shock with her turning up out of the blue. Anna had a feeling that she threw Elsa quite a bit when she knocked on her door. So maybe giving her some space wasn't the worst idea ever. It might actually persuade her to come back.

"So, why didn't you answer any of my messages?" Merida suddenly asked. "You scared me quite a bit."

"I was just upset to what happened with Elsa," Anna replied. "I didn't feel like discussing it then."

"Fair enough," Merida smiled a little. "So one last question, are we telling anyone about what happened? Like Rapunzel or your family?"

Anna had thought hard and long about the answer to that question. She had been preparing the answer all day and had finally come to one.

"No," she said firmly. "If we do, they would just keep on turning up at Elsa's and I know she doesn't want that. Let her decide when she's ready to see them. It would just overwhelm her and judging by the way she acted when I met her, she is not ready for any of that just yet."

"Fair enough," Merida repeated as she drank some more coffee. "That works well with my plan then."

Anna nodded and then was about to say something else when her eye caught something in the background. Anna did a double take and gasped at what she saw. It was a women with blonde hair done up in a French braid. She looked very familiar…

"Is that…" Anna's voice trailed away as she stared and she rose slightly from her seat.

Merida turned so quickly it cricked her neck. When she saw who Anna was looking at, her jaw dropped.

"It is," she breathed.

The women turned in their direction and locked eyes with the pair of them.

It was Elsa.

 **A/N: Hey guys, guess who's back with a brand new chapter! Sorry for late updating. So what's been happening, okay so went to Europe for first time, AMAZING! Can't wait to go back, that trip was like the best thing that ever happened to me. London was like the best thing ever. Always wanted to go, home of Harry Potter, hello why wouldn't I? Haha. Also work is a nightmare which takes everything out of me but luckily I finally saw Olaf's Frozen Adventure which was so good and helped motivate me and give me the inspiration needed to write this. I'm hoping that the next chapter will be up soon but no promises. I am super busy so writing isn't often done but will try.**

 **Also hope everyone had a great Christmas/Hanukah/Yule/holidays! Happy new year everyone!**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, please review!**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest: Thanks so much!**

 **theFamousStoryTeller: Sorry for not uploading before the new year and taking a while to upload. Been super busy. Also yeah, that person had no idea what they were talking about. Haters will hate. Thanks! I did have fun :)**

 **Guest (Set): Haha sorry for the typos, I do try and edit.**

 **AnthroDragon: Sorry about that, Hopps was one time cameo appearance.**

 **Jelsa Lover 04: Thanks so much! Means a bunch!**

 **JelsaElsaforeve: Haha it was. Be prepared for more drama coming!**

 **Guest: Nope, not yet.**

 **Liz: Okay so with that, I actually saw that when editing and thought I had corrected it. Obviously not. It is now though. Thanks for pointing it out!**

 **Guest: Thanks so much! Haha sorry about the wait, hope it's worth it. Thanks again!**

 **williambragg165: Thanks so much, I hope they are haha.**

 **IceGoddess05: Sorry about that, I do try to update asap but sometimes that is impossible. Thanks.**

 **Silent Reader: Thanks so much! Yay!**


End file.
